JACK
by Ianni Jankovich
Summary: LUBY vs. CARBY: Carter desperately wants what Abby and Luka have. What if seventeen years later, Carter comes back with a daughter who falls in love with Abby's son?
1. Flashback

_This is a story, about the beloved characters of ER, in the future. This first chapter opens up in present time, a little while after Jospeh Kovac is born, and sets the stage for the story. Enjoy. Ianni_

Kem threw the pillow onto the bed, clearly upset. Carter awoke from his sleep and looked up at his wife. It was three in the morning in Paris and Carter was not a morning person.

"Kem, you just get in?"

"No John." She sniffled. Kem stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed.

"What's wrong?" he asked slowly, knowing he was treading on dangerous water. This wasn't the first time Kem had come home at an odd hour in the morning. He could smell alcohol in her breath.

"Nothing John, go back to sleep." She said spitefully and retreated to the kitchen. Carter rolled his eyes and pushed back the covers. After pulling on a shirt, he followed her.

Kem was sitting at the kitchen counter, head in hands. Carter came behind her and began to rub her back, aiming to calm her down. She wrenched around to face him. Kem looked into Carter's eyes and put her hands on his chin. "What are we doing?" she asked in a barely audible whisper. Carter looked at her perplexed.

"Maybe you should come on to bed." Carter tried. She looked at him annoyed and tired. Kem sighed.

"Do you love me?" she asked him, her face expressionless.

"You know the answer to that." John said, not really knowing where all this was coming from. They had been a normal happy couple till up to a week ago. Last Tuesday Kem had come home drunk with a message: she was pregnant.

Kem let go of Carter's chin and stood up. "If you love me, then love me." She grabbed her coat and walked towards the door.

"Kem-"

"No John. Maybe we should," Kem hesitated, her eyes darting around the room, not really knowing what to say next, "maybe we should take a breather. I don't really know that I am ready to bring another child into this world."

Carter walked up to the woman he so dearly loved and planted a kiss on her forehead. He took a step back and placed his hands on her shoulders. "If you think that's best."

"I do."

Luka unlocked the green door and took the three steps up into his apartment. Placing his keys in the red bowl Maggie had bought for them a week before, he went in search for Abby. He tiptoed through the apartment as to not wake his newborn son. He pushed open the nursery door and found the two people in the world he'd die for. Abby was asleep with Joseph in her arms sitting in the rocker that Morris had given them. His heart leapt; they looked so beautiful.

Luka crossed the room and ran the back of his finger along his son's chubby cheeks. Trying not to wake Abby, he eased Joseph from his mother's arm and placed him in his crib. Joseph made a gurgling sound, which made Luka laugh. Abby shifted in the rocker and slowly opened her eyes. She smiled. Luka walked back over to the chair and kneeled in front of Abby. She ran her fingers through his black hair. "I love you, you know that right?" she said. Luka stood up, placing his hands on the arms of the rocker and leaned towards Abby. "I love you so muc-" but he finished his profession with a kiss that Abby then deepened. They parted gasping for air. Three hard knocks broke them from their trance.

Luka looked at Abby quizzically, "You expecting your mother?" he asked.

"No." Abby said, getting out of the rocker. Three knocks came again. "I'll get it, watch him please?"

Luka nodded his head and rested his elbows on Joseph's crib, admiring his son.

Three knocks came to the door again and a little harder this time. Abby quickly unlocked the deadbolt and opened the green door. She took a step back; it was Carter.

It was Carter like she had never seen him before. His oxford shirt was half tucked and his tie wasn't even tied but hung around his neck. His usually kempt hair was wildly disheveled and she could immediately smell expensive wine in his breath. "Carter?" she said bewildered.

"Hey Abby!" he said jovially, waltzing into the familiar apartment. "Heard Luka knocked you up, wanted to see the little-"

"Wow." Abby put her hands up to indicate that Carter should stop. "What's going on with you?" she asked in a concerned and surprised voice.

He raised his voice and shook his head, "Typical Abby, always trying to fix everyone else's problems but her own!"

Abby heard the baby wake up and begin to cry. She quickly looked towards the nursery, then back to Carter. Luka came out, holding a crying Joseph in his arms. He looked at Abby, then at Carter.

"Carter." He simply said, giving his old friend acknowledgement. He readjusted Joseph and walked back to the nursery. Abby turned back to Carter.

"Where's Kem?"

Carter laughed and threw up his hands. He went towards the refrigerator. "Got anything to drink in here?"

Abby grabbed the hunched Carter's arm and led him to the table and pushed him down into a seat. He looked at her in a way that scared her. He looked at her with pain and fear and sadness. Carter couldn't bear to look at Abby like this, not after all the hypocritical truths he had shouted at her. He looked away and laid his head on the table and shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

Abby watched him squirm till he stopped. She ran her fingers through her hair and finally sat down next to Carter. "What's wrong?" she whispered to his head.

"Kem's pregnant." He barely said, lifting his head a little. "She doesn't want me to be with her."

"What?"

"She said that we should take a break. That she's not ready for a baby." He sat up straight in the chair. "It's been two years Abby, two years." He emphasized. She saw a tear escape his eye.

Abby didn't know how to respond. Carter looked so torn and it hurt her to see him like this. He looked past her shoulder, towards the nursery.

"Can I see him?" he asked, the mood in the air suddenly changing. The look on Carter's face scared her.

"No." Abby said strongly. "You need to go back to Kem."

"I just want to see your son Abby." Carter said, demeaning.

"You need to go back to Kem." She repeated, trying to catch his gaze; he had his eye on the nursery.

"She doesn't want-"

"If you love her, go back to her and help her through this." Abby said sternly, now standing.

Carter broke his gaze off of the nursery door and looked up at Abby. He stood up and slammed the chair into the table. Abby jumped. "Let me see your son." He insisted, his eyes now bloodshot and filled with rage.

"Carter, calm down. You're upset and not to mention drunk as-" Carter started towards the nursery door. Abby quickly stepped in front of him. "Carter!" He stopped only for a second, looking at Abby, then went for the door. "Luka!" Abby yelled as Carter turned the knob. Abby pushed past Carter and stood under the doorframe. "Carter, I swear to God if you step one foot into my son's room."

"Abby, what's going on?" Luka asked innocently. Abby looked over at the crib. "Get Joseph." Luka obeyed, now realizing what was going on. He handed the baby to Abby and Luka grabbed Carter's shirt and walked him through the apartment and outside into the hallway before Carter's hand could touch the top of Joseph's head.

Luka let go violently of Carter. Carter pulled away and readjusted his shirt. He started to breakdown. "I just wanted to see your son." Carter whimpered.

"Look at you!" Luka yelled at his once best friend. "Look at you!"

"I'm…I'm…" Carter stuttered. He banged his fist on the wall.

"You're what?" Luka yelled once more. "Why are you here?" he asked in a more normal tone of voice.

"I'm still in love with Abby." Carter whispered to himself as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He backed towards the elevators in shock. He looked at Luka for mercy.

"What?" Luka said, his hands on his hips walking slowly towards Carter. A second later Luka was inches from Carter.

"Where's Kem?" Luka asked.

"In Paris."

"Why are you here?" Luka asked once more.

"Kem's pregnant. She doesn't know what she wants. She wanted me to go."

"Go back to your wife." Luka almost snarled. Carter was almost shaking with fear.

"I just…I'm sorry, I just-" he stammered nervously.

"Go." Luka said one last time. "I never want to see you near here again. Go."

Carter looked at Luka once more then turned to push the elevator button feeling so small. He could feel Luka's eyes on the back of his head. Luka waited for the doors to close before he went back to Abby and Joseph.


	2. Fast Forward

Joey passed the ball to Michael who then crossed it to Peter. It was Peters corner. The opposing team had a strong defense and they had never beaten them once in a district game. Peter saw Joey motioning subtly that his field was open. Peter quickly crossed it to Joey and Joey side kicked it into the goal at an awkward angle. Score! The team surrounded Joey in an instant, hoisting him on their shoulders. No one noticed Joey's pained face as he grabbed for his ankle.

Luka ran down to the soccer field from the stands to find his son amongst the crowd. His eyes darted amongst the mass for a couple of minutes before he found Joey. His son limped towards him. "Dad!" he exclaimed, a smile spread across his face. "D'you see it?"

"Yeah!" Luka beamed. "You're a hero." He coaxed patting his son on the back. His eyes fell to Joey's ankle.

"Does it hurt Jo?"

"A little dad. Where's mom?" Joey asked as his dad continued to look at his now swelling ankle.

"Uh, she got called into work. Jo, you sure your ankle is all right?"

"I'm sure, I just want to go home, you know, put some ice on this."

"Ok, ok. Do you want me to pull the car around?"

"Yeah, that would be great."

Luka looked at his son and smiled. "You know I'm proud of you, right?"

"Yeah dad, I do." Joey replied, not really understanding the source of his father's newfound happiness.

"Good game son." Luka ruffled Joey's hair.

"Thanks dad."

Watching until his father was out of sight, Joey sat in the stands. He kicked an empty hotdog carton with his good leg and stared out into the field. All of a sudden he saw his mom walking across it.

"Mom?"

"Joey? The game over?"

"Yeah, I scored the winning goal." Joey said, excited.

"I got out of the ER as soon as I could. I'm sorry I missed the last game of the summer."

"It's ok mom. I think I sprained my ankle or something." Joey lifted his leg so his mom could see.

"Is your father getting the car?" Abby asked, rolling down her son's sock.

"Yeah." Joey looked out onto the field. "Ouch!" Joey yanked his ankle back. "Mom!"

"Sorry, sorry." She laughed. Joey tried not looking amused but he could never resist his mother's smile; he laughed too.

Abby spotted the car and helped her son down from the stands. Luka ran back up to the stadium, a little out of breath.

"Abby."

"I got away but not soon enough."  
"It's ok." He said, kissing her softly.

"Dad, not now; please?" Joey interjected, trying to climb into the car. Abby and Luka parted; laughing and looking at Joey.

"Ok, let's get you into the car."

Aimee sat in the alcove near her desk, reading. The setting sun peeked in between the white curtains, casting a bronze glow into her room. She let her fingers part a way in the curtains so she could view the sunset. Aimee pushed the curtains all the way open and opened her window, letting the breeze comb through her dark brown hair. If you looked hard enough, past the river, you could see the tiny outline of the Eiffel Tower.

At the sound of her father's ascending footsteps, Aimee quickly closed the window and pulled the curtains closed. She reopened her book, Stephen King's _Everything's Eventual_, and let herself be drawn back into the world of Roland of Gilead. Her father knocked softly on her door.

"Aimee?" he said, waiting only a couple of seconds before entering his daughter's room. "Etes-vous prêt?"

"Oui père!" she said, leaping from the pillow she was sitting on. He looked at her sadly. "Elle me manqué aussi." Aimee tried.

They were heading towards the cemetery to bury her mother. Her father reached out to her.

"Vous êtes très aimable." Aimee smiled at her father's words.

"Votre Français est horrible." she laughed and got a faint smile from her father. It faded quickly.

"Is my English better?"

"Very." Aimee responded in her native French accent.

They rode silently in the limo. The sun had almost fully set as they pulled into the rough gravel road of the cemetery. Only three other people were there to bury Makemba Likasu Carter; Kem's mother, Jacque, and the priest. The eulogy was short and Kem was buried with few words said by those she loved. The first raindrop fell as Aimee and her father slid back into the limo. Carter had rented out Aimee's favorite restaurant to make the death of her mother easier and also to celebrate Aimee's sixteenth birthday.

Carter didn't eat or speak much as he watched his daughter eat. Aimee noticed this and put down her fork.

"Dad, you should eat." She said slowly.

"I'm ok." He said, straightening his tie.

"You didn't have to celebrate my birthday tonight." She paused, trying to read her father's face. It was expressionless. "Do you know why mom did what she did?"

"No one will ever know why your mother decided to kill herself. But you must remember she always loved you and so do I."

Aimee smiled faintly at her father and took another bite of her penne.

After watching Aimee finish her dinner, Carter pulled two envelopes from his coat pocket and handed one to her.

"What is this?" she asked, surprised, secretly hoping it was her birthday present. Her _actual _birthday present, not the Stephen King book she found wrapped on her bed, and not her mother committing suicide. She tore open the white envelope anxiously. Inside she found a plane ticket bound for America. She looked at her father perplexed.

"I thought it best, after your mother's death, that we move." He said with a passive tone.

"Move on, you mean." She said, letting the plane ticket drop onto the table. She was disgusted.

"Please Aimee, don't talk to me in that tone." He said sternly.

"Dad! You're not well. You're still grieving over my mother! We can't just pack up and move to America!"

"Yes, we can." He said calmly. "And we are."

"Mais je ne veux pas demenager en Amérique!"

"Aimee-"

"Besides, Americans are stupid cows with a clown for the leader." She pouted, arms crossed, sinking down in the leather chair.

"I'm American you know."

"I'm aware. You lived in Chicago." She said, sitting up properly in her chair once more, spite filling her voice.

"We're leaving tomorrow; our bags are being packed as we speak." Carter continued, placing his folded hands on the table.

Aimee looked away from her father, completely flabbergasted at her present and ever changing situation.

"Besides, you'll be starting school in a matter of weeks and due to your French schooling, you will be starting a year above your age. You will be called a _junior_ in high school." He sighed, "Aimee, think of this transition as an adventure and if you are absolutely hating it in America, I guess we can move back…deal?"

"Deal." And with that Aimee stood and walked towards the revolving doors, walking through them with great elegance and poise, just like her mother.


	3. Ignacious Prep

Mr. Innes put down the new piece of yellow chalk he had just written with. His vest was red with a vibrant blue button down underneath. Innes was bald, by choice for he was young. He paced the room with his hands behind his back only once pausing to nudge his black-rimmed glasses back on his nose. Observing the classroom before him he noticed one of his desks was missing a pupil; he always had a full classroom. He quickly dismissed this particular detail.

"Welcome to your third year in your high school careers," he began. "My name is Mr. Innes, that is spelled I-N-N-E-S as written upon the blackboard. I will shape your minds into thinking machines by the end of the year and I expect for you to be quoting great American authors by May."

Joey yawned at Mr. Innes's opening comments. It was the first day of his junior year at St. Ignacious College Preparatory Academy. His best friend Michael sniggered at this.

"Mr. Kovac, do you find the introduction to my lecture boring?" Mr. Innes said, in an instant standing beside Joey's desk.

"No." Joey said, slightly embarrassed.

"No what?" Mr. Innes demanded.

"No sir."

"Fix your tie Kovac or you'll be in detention instead of at your coveted varsity soccer practice."

Innes appeared suddenly at the front of the room once more. "Lit books out and your copy of _The Scarlet Letter_ and if I see any _Sparknotes_ on your desks, detention will be your new extracurricular activity!"

A sudden den of books being placed on freshly polished wooden desks filled the room almost immediately. Joey flipped aimlessly through his brand new copy of _The Scarlet Letter_ and found a note folded into the crease. He smiled at the note that his mother and father left him:

_Joey, good luck on your first day. No detentions this year. With much love, Mom and Dad._

The classroom door opened unexpectantly and fell silent, all eyes on who opened the door. It was Mrs. Callahan, an old Irish who was secretary to the school counselors. She held a blue slip in her hand, which meant only one thing: someone was getting ready to be excused from class. All held their breath, praying that they were the lucky one about to walk the empty hallways. Before reading the name on the blue slip, Callahan readjusted her glasses. She looked up at Joey. "J. Kovac, you are to report to Mrs. Ernst's office immediately."

Joey jumped at the invitation, knocking his books into his bag. "Dearie," Callahan started, "You'll be back in a matter of minutes. You can leave your bags." She paused and looked at his Literature teacher, "Thank you Mark." She said to Mr. Innes. Joey's face fell as he walked slowly behind Mrs. Callahan; he couldn't stand her Irish accent.

Aimee sat uncomfortably in her new school's attendance office which then joined into the counselor's offices. She brushed her black pleated skirt out of nervousness and kept moving her blue headband. The knee-high socks were beginning to annoy her as she watched the minute hand tick by. Aimee leaned in her seat to look out the door next to her and saw an empty hallway.

Carter had dropped his daughter off at St. Ignacious Prep promptly at eight in the morning. It was now approaching a quarter till ten. She didn't want to be here and desperately wanted her mom to be with her. That morning Aimee attempted to fain ill but had failed. Then she pretended to fall asleep in the town car on the way over but Carter tickled her way out of that one. When they finally reached the school, Aimee played a deaf mute rather convincingly before she accidentally tripped on a loose piece of stone and gave a small-frightened cry of alarm. From there she was seated in the chair she was now sitting in and promised that some one would show her around.

She folded her class schedule until it could fold no more. Aimee leaned toward the door again as she heard two sets of footsteps coming down the hall. She messed with her headband and jumped as her name was called from another office.

"Aimee Carter?" Mrs. Ernst asked, indicating for Aimee to come in and sit in a bright yellow chair. A hesitant smile was all Aimee could muster at the moment and sat. "I have invited for a favorite student of mine to show you around. Also, I made sure you two had the same schedule for the first semester. Do you have any questions for me?"

"No."

"He should be here in a moment." Mrs. Ernst said, shuffling through some papers. "Oh, and I put you in our highest French class we offer here. I know you're fluent, but I thought you could start out with an easy 'A'."

"Merci." Aimee said politely. Mrs. Ernst beamed at this. Aimee learned quite quickly that Americans were suckers for a foreign accent.

Before Joey entered Mrs. Ernst's office, he quickly replayed all that the Irish Mrs. Callahan had told him. He was to show around a girl, a girl from France. She would follow him to every class and share his schedule. Her name was Aimee and she was French. Joey ran his hand through his black hair and slowly entered the yellow-chaired office of Mrs. Ernst.


	4. First Day

Aimee followed Joey through the crowded hallways reluctantly. The last five minutes of Lit class were uneventful and Mr. Innes instructed for everyone to read as much as they could of their new books; Joey shared with Aimee.

They walked through the hallway with no words passing between them. Aimee received her fair number of stares from the student body, but stared at the cold white floors on their way to AP Physics.

Joey pulled out a chair next to him for Aimee to sit in, but she sat in the one on the other side of him. Joey smiled at this and sat down. He nudged his Physics book towards her so they could share. "You know, you're really quiet." Joey tried.

"Je m'appelle Aimee."

"I know; my name is Joey."

"You understood what I said?" she asked, taken aback.

"You're not the only one in this school who knows French." Joey said, trying to repress a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. Aimee opened her mouth to say something more, but then decided against it. The class began.

Joey stayed in his seat at the end of Physics. Aimee looked at him questionably, wondering why he wasn't moving to leave like the other students. He played with his tie and pulled on Aimee's bag to make her sit back down.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a little upset by his gesture. "Why are you grabbing my bag?"

"I have soccer after this. I doubt they put you in varsity soccer too."

Aimee pulled out her schedule and looked at the bottom of the sheet. "Study hall?"

Joey smiled. "I really don't feel like going to practice right now. If you want…" he trailed off, not really understanding why the next words were about to escape his mouth.

"What?"

"I can show you around a bit."

Aimee studied him closely. "I shouldn't skip a class on my first day."

"I can walk you to-"

"I have a map." Aimee said quickly, not liking the sudden change of Joey's demeanor. He was looking at her differently than before. She stood up.

"Well here…" Joey fished for a piece of paper out of his pocket. He wrote down his cell phone number. "If you need anything, you can call me." He handed the paper over to Aimee. She began to open it. "Wait! Uhh, open it when you're by yourself."

"OK?" she said, a little annoyed by this. Aimee placed her bag back on her shoulder and walked out the door.

Joey waited for Michael after soccer practice, his best friend had landed himself a detention and had missed practice. They had walked home together since kindergarten, then with their moms, now with hopes of getting a free slice of pizza from Mr. Tavacoli. As they neared the street corner where they intended to ask for free pizza, a sleek black limo drove by.

"Check it out." Michael said, pointing at the limo at the stoplight.

"Wonder who it is." Luka commented. You didn't see a lot of limos in this area everyday.

"Dunno man, but if it's someone famous, I might knock on their window." Joey laughed at this.

"C'mon, I promised my mom I'd be home by five."

"Whatever."

They crossed the street, both taking one last look at the black limo.

Aimee sat in the back of a black limo with her father. He had yet to ask her about her first day of school and to her, her father seemed distracted. To _celebrate_ the beginning of the school year, Carter wanted to take Aimee to his favorite pizza place: Mr. Tavacoli's. She had complained to him on the matter of taking a limo but Carter said it would be fun. He finally asked.

"So, how was school?"

"Different." She said.

"Make any friends?"

"No one makes friends on the first day." She said with a straight face. Her thoughts floated to Joey. Carter looked out the window. Aimee felt blindly in her book bag and found the piece of paper Joey had given her. She saw his number and blushed at what he wrote beneath it: _Je trouve que vous estes tres belle I think you are very beautiful _

"What is that that you a reading?" Carter asked, reaching for his daughter's hand. Aimee jumped and quickly pushed the paper back into her bag.

"Nothing, it was a book I needed to get from the library."

Carter knew his daughter was lying to him.

Aimee looked out the window as they came to stop light. She thought she saw Joey walking with another guy but quickly dismissed the idea. Trying to get her mind off him, she scooted closer to her dad.

"See anyone you know yet?" Aimee asked.

"Actually, no. I was hoping to though." His face lit up a little bit, thinking about the old days at County.

"You should call." Aimee suggested.

"It's not that easy hunny, to them, I've almost been gone for twenty years."

"Oh." Aimee gasped, not realizing it had been so long since her father moved to Paris.

"So I wasn't born in America?" Aimee asked, truly interested in her father's history in Chicago.

"No, but your brother was though." Carter became suddenly lost in his thoughts.

"I had a brother?"

"His name was Joshua. He was dead when he was born. Your mother, I don't think she ever got over it. He was so small and so helpless and-"

"Dad." Aimee said softly. Carter had gone pale; he didn't respond to Aimee. "Dad!" she tried again. He finally fell from his trance and looked down at his daughter.

"You are a blessing." He said quietly. "Ready for the pizza?"

Abby looked at the clock in the kitchen, waiting for her son to come home. She had had the day off and Luka had to work a double because Ray and Neela's flight back from their visit to England was delayed twice. She hated not having something to do. Abby walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a pot with a sticky note attached to it. Luka had written instructions on how to cook what was in it. Abby smiled and placed the pot on the stove.

Joey unlocked the door and found his mom reading at the kitchen table.

"Hey mom." Joey said. Abby looked up from her book and smiled at her son walking through the door, placing his soccer ball on the floor.

"So how was school?"

"Fine." He said. "I met this girl." He added, not quite knowing how his mom would react.

"A girl?" Abby teased. She put her book down and walked over to Joey, her hands in her back pocket.

"Mom-"

"Joey met a girl!" she said, ruffling her son's hair. Joey laughed. "What's her name?"

"Aimee." Joey simply said.

"So tell me about this girl." Abby said, fixing Joey a glass of coke.

"Not yet."

"Too soon huh?"

"Yeh." Joey said, loving how his mother knew exactly how he felt. "I'm going to take a shower."

Abby watched her son walk up to his room as the rice began to bubble over. She leapt from her chair to attend to the stove and smiled at the thought of her son fancying a girl. The phone rang a little while after; it was Luka.

"Jo home yet?"

"Yes, he's fine."

"Good, good. I should be home by three."

"In the morning?"

"Yep." Luka sighed, so did Abby.

"Our son met a girl."

"Really." Luka said, surprised, forming a grin on the other end of the phone. "Did he tell you a name?"

"Aimee." Abby rocked back and forth on her heels, relishing Luka's voice. "I wish you were here."

"Me too." Luka said truly wishing he were back home with Abby and their son.

Abby and Luka stayed on the phone with each other for another minute or two without saying a word; enjoying their comfortable silence. Abby could hear the busy ER in the background.

"Abby?"

"Yeh?"

"I gotta go, there's a trauma coming in." Luka paused. "I love you."

"I love you too Luka." Abby replied, sad that he had to go.

Luka reluctantly hung up the phone.


	5. Getting to Know You

Ray and Neela sat on their porch each nursing their own mugs of coffee. They watched the sun rise and didn't have to go into work till that afternoon. Neela looked up at Ray and smiled. Ray planted on soft kiss on his wife and started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Neela parted and asked in her witty English accent.

"Just thinking about you…and me."

Neela playfully rolled her eyes and looked back out into the street. She quickly spotted Joey coming around the corner on his daily morning run. Ray and Neela called out to him.

Sweating, panting, and out of breath, Joey climbed the porch stairs. He smiled at them both.

"Hey Uncle Ray, Aunt Neela. Finally back from England?"

"Yeh." They said in unison. "How've you been?" Ray asked.

"Good. Mom wasn't to happy about Dad taking over for you two when your flight was delayed."

"She just didn't like being away from your dad for so long." Neela suggested.

"Yeh, buddy. You should of seen those two before you were born." Ray joked. Joey felt suddenly uncomfortable; he didn't really want to imagine his mom and dad like that.

"Oh well, the homework is piling up and we have a new soccer coach. I need to stay on top of my game."

"Well, we won't keep you from your run." Neela said.

"Bye Joey." Ray added. And with that Joey began to descend the porch steps and run around the block.

Also on his morning jog, coming from the opposite direction, was Carter. He passed Joey unknowingly and began to run up Neela and Ray's street.

"Isn't that Dr. Carter?" Neela asked, while Carter was still a distance away.

"No way." Ray paused, trying to get a better look, "Neela your right!"

"Dr. Carter!" Neela shouted, waving.

"What are you doing?" Ray hissed, but before she could respond, Carter stopped in front of their porch.

"Neela? Ray?" Carter said surprised, "How have you been?"

"How have we…I can't believe it's you." Said Neela. "It's been so long."

Ray just stared. Carter looked at him then back at Neela. "I'm here with my daughter."

"You, you have a daughter?" Ray asked.

"Yes, her name is Aimee and she just turned sixteen about a month ago."

"Wow, it has been a long time." Ray said. "So what brought you back to the States? Last I heard you were in Paris with Kem."

"I got to finish my run you guys, I promised Aimee I'd drive her to school. She hates the limo." Carter said awkwardly, walking backwards down the street. He then turned and kept up his morning jog.

"That was weird." Neela said; Ray nodded in agreement.

Aimee was waiting patiently at the front door for her father to return from his run. She glanced at the full-length mirror that adorned the entrance hallway. She still hadn't gotten use to the idea of wearing a uniform and so she studied it. Her black and white saddle shoes still needed to be broken in and her blue knee-highs were getting on her last nerves. She didn't mind her black pleated skirt in fact she liked it. Aimee shifted to the right a little bit. She observed her neatly tucked light blue shirt, which was overlapped buy a sleeveless black vest. Aimee flattened out her collar. As her hand reached for her blue headband (which happened to match her shirt and socks), Carter came through the front door.

"Not becoming vain are we?"

"No. Just waiting." And she followed her dad out the door.

Joey stood in line by himself in the cafeteria. Michael had landed himself his first lunch detention of the year for wearing the wrong colored socks and his other friends obviously were assigned different lunches. He could smell the intoxicating aroma of chicken rings as the line inched closer to the kitchen and he couldn't wait to eat them. As he was about to enter the kitchen, he saw Aimee. He had wanted to wait for her as she went to get another book out of her locker, but she insisted that he save a spot in line and to stop being a girl.

"How many books do you read?" he asked her jokingly.

"It helps me with my English." She said in a matter of fact tone.

"Oh."

"Who is your favorite author?" Aimee asked as she put her book into her satchel.

"I don't read." Joey said, not sure that was the correct answer to Aimee's question.

"How can you not read?" she said, not really understanding.

"I just – two orders of chicken rings, no fries, no gravy – don't read. No time with soccer and all."

"So your passion is futbol?"

"You could say that. Are you eating?"

"Uh, can I have what he is having?" Aimee asked the lunch lady. She nodded and handed Aimee an identical plate.

Joey paid for both their lunches and he led her out into the empty school atrium where upperclassmen were allowed to eat. Half way through his chicken rings, he noticed Aimee hadn't taken a bite.

"You not hungry?"

"Well I don't really understand what we are supposed to be eating. I mean, what is it?"

"A chicken ring. They're good."

"What part of a chicken is shaped like this?" she asked, holding one up. Joey didn't want to think about it so he decided to change the subject.

"So what is your opinion of America so far?" he asked with his mouth full.

She laughed. "I really don't know. All I can say is that it is all very interesting."

"Interesting…like what?"

"Everyone is in a rush for one thing. Rush, rush, rush, no relaxation."

"Anything else?"

"Obesity."

"Is it that obvious?" Joey said, shocked. He knew it was a growing problem and all, but really.

"Very." She saw the serious look on his face. "What do you say? Uhh, cheer up, no bid deal. As long as you eat right and stay fit-"

"Let's change the subject."

Aimee laughed. She pulled out her book and began to read. Five minutes later the bell rang.

"Thank you for the lunch." She offered as they walked to Calculus together.

"You barely ate."

"Still, thanks. Besides, I-" Aimee's words were thrown off course and her thoughts disrupted as some one bumped into her; her satchel escaping her shoulder and her books falling to the floor.

Joey bent down quickly to help, but their heads collided.

"Ouch." They said in unison; their hands both reaching for their foreheads. He helped her put all her books in the bag and Aimee and Joey both reached for _My Sister's Keeper_ by Jodi Picoult. Their hands touched. For a second, they held each other hands over the book. Realizing what was going on, Aimee pulled back her hand and quickly shoved the book back into her bag.

"Uhh, sorry." Was all Joey could say and she just flashed him a smile.

The rest of the day, neither one of them talked. Too awkward.

As Joey opened the door to home, he spotted his mom and dad clearly making out on the couch. He slammed the door shut to get their attention and sulked to his room.

Abby quickly pushed a disheveled Luka Kovac off of her a she tried to button her blouse.

"Do you think he saw us?" she asked Luka, who was smiling up at her from the floor.

"Maybe." He offered.

"I should go talk to him." Abby said, looking towards her son's door, one hand dangling over the couch.

"Abby, you worry too much." Luka mumbled taking a hold of her hand. She looked down at him. "Come here." Luka pulled her down to the floor with him and she gave a playful scream of shock. He quickly undid Abby blouse once more.

Aimee waited for her father to pick her up in the front of the school. Right on time, the black limo pulled up. She quickly got in and slammed the door behind her; Carter wasn't there. She pushed the button for the partition to roll down.

"Andrew?"

"Yes Ms. Carter?" the limo driver asked. She hated being called that.

"Where's my dad?"

"Oh, he told me to tell you that he was tied up in a meeting. He'll be home by dinner mam. Dr. Carter also wanted me to ask you if you wanted to stop for some ice cream on the way home."

"No thanks Andrew. I need to study."

"Very well then." Andrew answered as he raised the partition once more. Aimee really felt like talking to someone.

Joey sat on his bed, glairing at his door, in hopes that either his mother or father noticed his homecoming and would come up to talk to him. After ten minutes, he gave up and started his homework. Halfway through, he thought of his hand touching Aimee's; her hand had been soft and delicate, almost welcoming. Joey wanted to call her; but how? She had his number. He finished his homework and his stomach rumbled. He put his ear against the door to make sure it was safe to come back down. He didn't hear anything that suggested, well, you know, and descended the three stairs to the kitchen. His cell phone rang on silent.


	6. Advice

Over the next few weeks Aimee read and Joey played his soccer, but every moment in between, they spent it together. Michael almost found it disgusting that his best friend would rather watch this French girl read than hang out at Mr. Tavacoli's. Once at lunch, Joey hat attempted to teach Aimee how to play Black Jack, but they laughed at each other's mistakes so hard that (Aimee's incomprehension and Joey's inability to teach a simple card game) their faces were almost touching and Joey wanted to kiss her; but he didn't.

The first soccer game was a week away and Joey was working up the nerve to ask Aimee to come and maybe have a bite to eat afterward. That Monday, after school, he spotted his mom and Aunt Neela in Barnes and Noble on the way home. The bell chimed as he walked through the oak double doors and Neela spotted her nephew almost immediately.

"Joey, hey, how was school?" Neela started. He hugged his aunt, but looked straight at his mom.

"Joey, what's wrong?" Abby asked, concerned.

Joey, looking between his mom and aunt and decided he might have to ask his dad and uncle the same question. "Mom, remember Aimee?"

"The girl." Abby teased, winking at Neela.

"Mom…" Joey pleaded.

"Yes, I remember."

"I like her a lot and I want to ask her to come to my soccer game this Friday and maybe to get something to eat afterwards if that is ok with you and dad."

"Yeh Joey, that's fine with me; but why do I feel that's not why you're here?"

Joey's ears turned red, his mother knew him too well.

"I don't know how to ask her properly." He said timidly. Neela and Abby exchanged a look. Abby placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "Talk to your father first or Uncle Ray, then come back to me and your Aunt Neela."

Joey gave his mother and aunt a longing look, but they ushered him out the bookstore.

Neela turned to Abby. "How did Luka first ask you out?"

"He didn't. I did." Abby said; she then took another sip of her coffee.

Aimee hadn't seen her dad all week and knew he was overworking himself. He had done the same thing when her mother had her first _spell_. She thought it a piece of good fortune to have Joey to take her mind off of things. School was going great besides her one 'B' in her English class; she wasn't too good at the grammar. Opening up her planner, she noticed the school had printed the date of the first soccer game. Aimee debated whether or not to ask her father if she could go, but that would depend on him actually coming home. She highlighted the date anyways.

Walking down the spiral staircase, she noticed a cracked door at the end of the west hallway. Aimee tiptoed down the dark wooden floor and poked the door further open. It was a library. She ran upstairs to grab her flashlight when she discovered the lights didn't work; she flicked it on. Aimee ran her fingers along the dusty furniture until they came upon an old, black, Adidas shoebox. She lifted the lid carefully, disturbing a few cobwebs, and found herself staring at old photographs.

She put down the flashlight briefly to pull back her hair. Grabbing a handful of pictures, she dusted off a chair and grabbed her flashlight once more. On top was a picture that looked faded; she recognized her father at once. He was with a woman she had never seen before. Bringing the flashlight closer, it seemed that he was on a date. There were stringed lights in the background and it appeared that they were on some sort of outside dance floor; they were laughing. Aimee had never seen her father so happy. She flipped the photograph over and found her father's handwriting: _Abby and me with Eric. Chicago Cowboy Festival square dancing . Oct. 2002_

The next picture looked like it was taken at a Christmas party. She saw her dad again, with Abby, and some other people around them. Flipping the picture over she read: _Susan's X-mas Party 2002, Abby looked beautiful that night_

Aimee quickly flipped through the rest of the pictures and found that they all had Abby in them. She noticed the dates stopped at April 2003. She shined the flashlight on the lid of the shoebox and found that her father had written _Abby_ on the top. Dropping the pictures back into the box except for the first one (this one she put into her pocket), she noticed a smaller box in the corner. She picked it up carefully and fumbled with the hinge. At first Aimee couldn't make out what it was, but then soon realized it was a simple diamond ring. She lifted the ring out its socket and slipped it on her finger. It was beautiful, she thought.

Thinking should be getting out of there soon at the sound of footsteps; she put the ring back into its box and then back into the bigger shoebox. She turned clicked off the flashlight and tiptoed back to her room.

Joey found his dad hunched over the all too familiar stacks of hospital charts when he got home. He walked into the study, Luka not noticing his son standing behind him.

"Dad." Joey tapped his dad's shoulder lightly.

"Hey Jo. I needed a break." Luka said, happily, pushing back his chair and leading his son to the kitchen counter. He started to fix himself a sandwich.

Joey slid onto the barstool so that he and his dad could be level.

"How did you first ask mom out?" Joey asked. Luka looked up from the bag of lettuce he was pulling from.

"It really wasn't a matter of asking," Luka smiled, "your mother, she kissed me one day out of the blue." Luka laughed, "I hadn't thought about that moment in years…why do you ask?"

"So she just kissed you? I mean, you two had to date right? Who asked who out on the first date?"

"Let's see…" Luka put his hand up to his chin, thinking. "We were in the ER." He began, "It was the day after she kissed me. I saw a white feather in her hair and I pulled it out. She jumped and turned around and smiled at me…that's when I think first fell in love with your mother."

"Dad-" Joey tried; Luka went on.

"We ended up going to this bar and playing the uh, the futbol on sticks?"

"Foosball, dad, foosball."

"Right, so we played the foosball, your mother won by the way. We ordered some beers and we just talked and laughed. She couldn't believe I lived in a hotel and-"

"Why were you living in a hotel?"

Luka looked at his son. He remembered what happened that night, after the foosball, after the beers. He chuckled. Joey saw this and rolled his eyes. "So you two just talked and mutually decided to go out that night?"

"Pretty much."

Joey looked at his dad; Luka had started making his sandwich again, this time he was whistling.

"I want to ask this girl to my soccer game on Friday."

"Then you should go for it." His father said, handing his son a can of coke from the fridge.

"Can I ask her to get something to eat afterwards?" Joey asked, sipping on his coke.

"Did you ask your mom?"

"Yes."

"What did she say?"

"She said it was fine if it was ok with you."

Luka thought for a moment, then he nodded his head. "Yeh, go. Just don't do anything…" Luka said, looking at his son seriously.

"What? Don't do what you and mom do almost every time you two are together."

"Excuse me?" Luka said, trying to keep a straight face. He slapped his forehead and told his son to go start his homework. Half way up the stairs, Luka called for Joey to turn around. This time he was serious. "Always give a woman respect." Luka paused, "That's my advice Jo."


	7. Tuesday

Tuesday.

Aimee walked into school concealing the picture she found of her dad and the woman named Abby safely in her book. The photo fascinated her beyond reason, she had never seen that expression on her father's face before and she was determined to find out who Abby was and if she still lived in Chicago. She thought if she could find Abby, her dad would be happy again like he was with her mother; more than happy.

She looked for Joey before the first bell rang, but didn't see him amongst the mass of other students; so she walked by herself to Mr. Innes's dungeon of a classroom. Sitting down, she spotted Michael sitting in front of her. Aimee tapped his shoulder.

"Where is Joey?" she whispered. Michael turned around and shrugged his shoulders.

"Thought he was with you." He whispered back, a little resentful.

"No, he wasn't." she paused, aware of Michael's tone of voice. "Are you mad at me?"

"It's nothing, sorry. I've just been seeing less and less of him since you came." Michael said before turning back around. Aimee felt hurt.

The leaves had begun to turn a golden yellow and fiery red. Aimee pulled her scarf tighter around her neck as she ate the soup the maid fixed for her that morning. She pulled out the book that held the picture and opened it to read the next chapter. A hard wind blew and turned the pages of her book. The picture flew out and took flight. Aimee chased after it. It landed in a pot of dead tulips. Another hand found it first; it was Joey's. Aimee quickly snapped it back.

"What is that?" Joey asked, innocently curious.

"Where've you been?" Aimee asked, trying quickly to change the subject.

"The Dean was informing me that I made NHS…what are you hiding?" Joey reached his hand towards the picture that was flapping in the wind under Aimee's arm.

"Don't!" she almost screamed. She didn't want Joey to see the picture; it was too personal.

He looked at her strangely and turned to leave. Aimee grabbed his arm to stop him. "I'm sorry, I just, and it's private." She stammered.

Joey looked at her and remembered his father's words. "My first soccer game is on Friday." He started. Aimee smiled, relived that he didn't push her for information.

"I know." She flung her hair back; the wind was blowing it around. "I was thinking about going."

"You were?" he responded in a playful mocking tone. He dug his hands into his coat pocket. Aimee nodded her head in agreement. "You mocking me?"

"Of course not." Joey said. They looked at each other for a moment, but Aimee broke his gaze and looked down at the leaves surrounding her shoes. "Maybe, we can get something to eat after the game?"

Aimee looked back up at him, trying to find the words to say yes. "I have to ask my dad." She ended up saying.

"Do you want to go inside? It's getting really cold." Joey said, acknowledging the fact she needed to ask her dad first. He offered his hand to her and she took it, leading her inside.

That afternoon, when she came home, she found a brown leather journal sitting on her bed. Aimee flung her bag onto the floor and jumped on her bed, examining the journal. On top was a note in handwriting she barely recognized: _Here is your father's journal from before he met your mom. I know you were in the library last night. If you have any questions about your father's past, feel free to ask me. I know more than you think. Andrew_

She smiled at the letter and opened to the first page. In her father's neat handwriting, she found the dates _1994-2003_ written across the page. Aimee read the first couple of entries then flipped through almost half the journal in search of Abby. She was about to give up in November of '99, but then turned the page one last time to 2000 and saw Abby's name.

Carol delivered her twins today. We found Luka outside, kneeling in the snow trying to bring her in. We had to rush her up to the OR after the first twin was born. I met a nurse there named Abby. I think she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I hope to see more of her. I don't think she saw me though. Oh well, it's getting late and tomorrow is another day.

JCIII

A year later she found:

Abby and I sat by the lake today. She's not happy with Luka. I feel horrible though; I don't think she'll ever talk to me again. I told her I wasn't one of her girlfriends she could come and talk to about her boy problems, but deep inside I really wanted to be with her. Luka doesn't deserve her. She just gave me a cold stare and walked away. Maybe all I can be is a friend to her right now. I don't like wishing bad things for her and Luka; I just want her to be happy.

JCIII

Without really reading any more, she found every page that contained Abby's name and marked it with a blue sticky note from her desk. Aimee closed the journal and slid it underneath her bed. She looked at the picture once more and placed it back into her book.

Wednesday.

Joey woke up to a note taped to his forehead. His mom liked to do this when she and his dad were at work in the morning. He peeled it off his head and read it. All it was, was a smiley face and a picture of toast and eggs pointing to a badly drawn picture of a microwave. He threw off his covers and walked down stairs in his boxers. Joey found the toast and eggs in the microwave still warm and ate them in about three bites.

He hoped Aimee could give him an answer today. Not that he had alternate plans, but because he just wanted to know. He jogged his morning jog as always, and as always he found his aunt and uncle welcoming the rising sun. Joey quickly changed into his school uniform and took the El to school because he was running late. He found Aimee staring at the picture again as he sat down next to her in Physics. He tried to get a good look at it, but she put it into her book when she saw him. He knew it was none of his business, but still, he was curious.

In their theology class, Mrs. Porter had asked the class to prepare a slideshow presentation on the sacrament of marriage using their own families as an example. Aimee had been loathing this assignment for a week, but stood up confidently when her name was called. She placed the first slide onto the projector and clicked it on. "This is my mom and dad before they were married in an African village called Kisangani; they were aid workers."

Aimee then proceeded with wedding photos and family pictures just as the syllabus had asked. Towards the end of her presentation, Joey could tell she was getting a little tense. She began to recite the wedding vows, giving an example of how her mom and dad exemplified one particular vow (as asked on the syllabus). "…and till death do us part." Aimee paused, "And then, she died."

Aimee looked out into the classroom, tears trying to escape the corners of her eyes, but she wouldn't let them. "Can I be excused madam?" she asked Mrs. Porter before walking slowly to the door almost about to burst out in tears.

Before Joey could offer any kind of condolences, the door closed and his name was called. He walked up to the projector and put down a transparency of his mom. He looked towards the door once last time to see if Aimee was all right, then clicked it on. "This is my mom," he began, "Abigail Kovac, but her friends and family just call her Abby…"

Joey didn't see Aimee at lunch and couldn't find her on the way to soccer practice either. Michael had to meet his mom at the downtown library and so Joey took the El to the ER. He spotted Frank and Jerry at the front desk and gratefully accepted a chocolate chip cookie. Joey walked into the lounge to find his mom and dad separating from a kiss.

"Do you guys ever stop?" Joey said. Abby and Luka came up to their son and engulfed him into a group hug. Luka laid his head on top of Abby's and held them closer.

"I love you guys." He barely whispered.

Abby took a step back and gave her son a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm off at six Joey." She said before exiting the lounge. He looked over at his dad.

"Aimee lost her mom." Joey said.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Luka said, grabbing a mug to put his coffee in.

"Her mom died in Paris. That's why she moved here, to Chicago. I think her dad used to live here or something." Joey said, scratching his head; a nervous habit he picked up from his mom. Luka noticed this and smiled.

"You know Jo, sometimes people need to free themselves of familiar surrounding to cope with their loss; especially one so great as that. I mean, imagine losing someone you love so-"

"I get it dad. It's just, I dunno, she keeps looking at this picture and she won't let me see it and-"

"Maybe it's of her mother." Luka suggested. Joey nodded. "Sorry Jo, but I need to get back to work."

"How long are you on for?"

"I'll try to be home before ten ok."

"Ok, thanks." Joey said after his dad left. He decided to finish his homework in the lounge and wait for his mom to get off work.


	8. Thursday

Thursday.

Aimee jumped at the sound of thunder and was blinded by the lightening that came through her window. She glanced over at the clock that read half past six, and decided to get up. Tying her robe tightly around her, she walked downstairs to find her father sipping on coffee in the kitchen. With no words passing, between them, she made herself some toast and poured herself a glass of orange juice, then sat next to her father.

Carter had been awake since four in the morning; when the storm had started. He had had another dream about finding Kem in the bathroom. It was a peaceful night when he had found her. She had called leaving a message, saying she was staying late at the University to do more research on her new case study. Carter had wanted to take a warm bath to relax from the day's efforts. He had walked the stairs slowly, and had unbuttoned his shirt by the time his hand had reached the bathroom doorknob. Carter opened it, yawning, eyes closed and threw his shirt onto the floor. Without pulling back the curtains, he had reached in to turn on the water, and as his inched down to pull the stop up, his hands grazed the tips of Kem's ice cold toes.

He immediately pulled back the shower curtains, and to his horror, found his wife sitting in the bathtub, arms out, wrists slit, covered in crimson, and her chest barely rising and falling. Carter stood there, frozen, his knees going weak, slinking to the floor. It was Andrew who had walked by the door and found them. It was Andrew who called the ambulance. It was Andrew who pulled up Mr. Carter and led him to the hospital. It was Andrew that picked up Aimee from a sleepover and informed her that her mother had died. It was…

Carter noticed his daughter eating beside him. He turned in his seat and almost couldn't bear to look at her because she looked so much like her mother.

"Couldn't sleep too, huh?" she said, biting down on her last piece, trying to create polite conversation.

"How have you been?" he asked her, amazed at how normal a human being could be when they had lost so much.

"Fine." She said, looking up from her plate for the first time.

"Have any plans for the weekend?" he asked, relaxing a little. "Made some friends yet?"

"Actually," she began, wiping her mouth with the napkin, "can I go to a soccer match tomorrow and maybe get a bite to eat afterward?"

Carter looked at his daughter and smiled. "As long as your home by eleven."

Aimee jumped from her chair and kissed her dad on the cheek, before heading back up stairs to get ready for school.

Joey woke up to find his aunt and uncle eating at the kitchen table. He waved to them, too sleepy to talk, and fixed himself a bowl of cereal. He sat across from Ray and began to eat.

"So Joey, big soccer game tomorrow?" Neela started. Joey nodded his head. "Ever ask the girl?"

"Yeh, but she hasn't given me an answer yet. She had to ask her dad." He said. "No offense, but why are you two here?"

"Your dad asked us to wait for the cable guy." Ray said.

"Together?" Joey asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Why not, we both have the day off and after the cable guy comes, we were going to get a bite to eat and then maybe-"

"I need to get ready." Joey interjected, a little out of character. He loved his aunt and uncle and all, but between his mom and dad and them, their constant togetherness, was driving him a little crazy. He wondered if that was how he and his wife were going to be if he ever got married.

English was a bore then in their Physics class they did a lab. Soccer practice was a breeze and the coach pretty much made Joey the game captain. Lunch was cold and damp as he waited for Aimee to join him as she always did outside. Finally, from the corner of his eye, he saw her walking towards him with a red scarf around her neck.

"Bonjour." She said, making Joey smile.

"What took you so long?" he joked.

"We had a sub in our study hall today and he wouldn't let us leave until everyone was in correct uniform. Half the class almost got a detention."

"But not you of course."

"Right." She blushed a little. "Are we still going to get a bite to eat tomorrow after you win the game?"

Joey laughed, "After I…yes, if you still want to go with me." He beamed, still chewing on his sandwich that his aunt had made for him.

"I do."

They ate in a comfortable silence for a while, then the rain started up again. Aimee grabbed Joey's hand as they ran for cover under the tiny overhang that led to the Visual Arts Building. They watched their food become drenched and soggy.

"I left my book!" Aimee exclaimed, beginning to dart back out into the rain, but Joey held onto her hand and pulled her back in. She looked at him and he looked at her. To them, the rain began to fall almost in slow motion as their hands found each other's, and they could feel their heartbeats pounding against their chests out of excitement. Joey's nose brushed against Aimee's as their eyes closed and her hands went around his neck. His hands found her waist as he softly kissed her rosy lips. They blinked. "Books can dry, you know?" he said, their noses still touching.

"I think the bell just rang." She whispered, her eyes never leaving his.

Joey ran back to the table to get her book, then they ran through the VAB, soaking wet, to their fourth period class; French.

Nine traumas had come in that afternoon, and out of those nine, only five survived their injuries past surgery with Dubenko. Abby, Luka, Ray, and Neela gathered around the admit desk.

"It's kind of depressing when you work as hard as we do and we only saved five." Neela began, upset.

"We did the best we could." Luka said, trying to cheer Neela up. Abby looked at him and smiled.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving." Ray said, putting down his chart he had been holding. They all mumbled in agreement.

Just then Sam, walked through the ambulance bay doors, cussing at her umbrella, which had turned itself inside out.

"Aren't you supposed to be at Alex's wedding?" Frank asked.

Sam looked at him in disgust. "Claire dumped my Alex for some guy on a motorcycle in the middle of their vows. Alex is on a plane by now to their honeymoon in Spain, and I'm mad as hell…so I decided to come into work."

"Oh." Was all Frank could say. Everyone else just stared at the floor, trying to suppress laughter; they all knew Sam was horrible at being angry, and they were right, a second later she was laughing.

"Ray was going to get us all something to eat, if you wanted anything?" Jerry said.

"No, I said I was hungry." Ray reminded them.

Five minutes later, after a quick tournament of rock, paper, scissors, Ray walked outside in the rain headed towards Ike's. Sam began to leaf through the charts and Neela went back into the trauma room to finish up her chart on a guy who died crashing into a convenient store three blocks down. Jerry and Frank continued to answer the phones (or surf the Internet) when Luka led Abby aside.

"Luka?" Abby questioned as he led her into Morris's old closet/office.

"They're no patients to see." Luka said, closing the door behind them.

"What are you doing?" she grinned, knowing exactly what Luka was about to do.

"C'mere" he whispered as thunder shook the shelves around them.

Abby stood on her toes and kissed him softly. He quickly removed her lab coat and pulled her closer to him deepening their kiss. His hands were all over; trying to feel every ounce of the woman he loved, making it difficult for her to remove his lab coat as well. Instead, she ran her fingers through his hair as he planted kisses along her collarbone. She moaned.

"Luka…" Another kiss. "Not here…" she barely said, letting his hands travel down her back.

"Abby…" he mumbled, "I love you so much." He said slowly, allowing her to kiss him one more time before he stepped back.

The door opened, it was a Sam. "Uhh, right, not in here Neela." She said, laughing and closing the door. Abby buried her head into Luka's chest and he hugged her. He could feel her smiling. She stepped back and put her lab coat back on. "I love you too." She said, opening the door and walking back into the fluorescent-lit ER.


	9. Friday

Friday.

Luka sat in his office, bored, flipping through a medical journal Kerry had asked him to read for possible grant ideas for the ER. He closed the fifth one in the stack and leaned back into his chair. Placing his pencil in-between the computer keys, he looked at the collection of framed photographs that laced the front of his desk.

The one directly in front of him was his favorite and was taken only a few months ago. Neela had taken it to finish out her roll from the trip. The photograph pictured Abby and he standing behind Joseph who was clutching his soccer ball, staring out into the distance. They were on Neela and Ray's porch; Abby was still in her blue scrubs and smiling directly at the camera. Luka's arm was wrapped around her shoulder and his other arm was resting on Joey's. The moment seemed perfect. What captivated him the most was how old his son looked; almost a man. Joey had his dark green eyes, messy black hair, and charm (according to Abby), but unmistakably, his son had Abby's gentle smile, her chin, and laid back attitude; he even walked like her.

His beeper went off, jolting him from his daydream. Luka stood up and walked towards the elevator doors to the ER.

Carter sat at his desk in the study, nursing a cup of coffee. He had just unwrapped the last picture frame from the box and placed it next to his computer. It was picture of Aimee, standing in front of her old school. She was laughing, her skin, like brown sugar, glowing in the setting sunlight. Carter noticed that she had his straight hair, but hers landed just past her shoulders and was almost as black as night; he saw his eyes as well. But it hurt to see Kem come out of Aimee's radiance; she had her smile, skin color, and grace. The only mystery that captivated him was Aimee's freckles that line the apex of her nose and spills out underneath her eyes…but he saw Kem and wrapped the picture in its frame back into the brown paper.

After turning on the computer, Carter looked up the Ignacious Prep website and clicked on a link that led to the school's soccer site. He was inclined to find out why his daughter took a sudden interest in American soccer. A picture of Joey flashed on screen with another picture of the team below it. It read: _Joey leads school to first State win as a sophomore during last season's end. As team captain in his junior year, will he give Ignacious Prep another win? Come support the Lions as the play against Bishop Ward in their season opener: Friday._

Something struck Carter about the picture of this soccer superstar they called Joey; it was in his smile and stance, it reminded of him so much of Ab…

Andrew knocked on the door. "Sir, the car is ready." Carter jumped at Andrew's suddenness and then followed his old friend to the front as thoughts of Abby began to race through his mind.

The pep rally ended with a bang as the drum line began to beat to a complicated yet seductive rhythm that had the school on its feet. On center court was the soccer team with Joey jumping up and down trying to pump up the crowd with his enthusiasm; they responded with eager excitement and cheers for victory. Aimee had never experienced anything like this before and she thought she had been swept into an amateur circus performance. Cheerleaders were doing flips, Joey was being hoisted onto the team's shoulders, and before they carried him out of the gym, he looked up in Aimee's direction. She waived to him and he waived back, his smile becoming slightly more sincere.

Carter welcomed the golden leaves that rustled under the street lamps as he made his way towards Lion Stadium. He could already hear the roar of the crowd and the clock counting towards half time. He paid for his ticket and popped his collar up on his coat; he had forgotten how cold it got in the Chicago fall night. He paused at the height of the steps and looked to his right, scanning the crowd for Aimee; her in her red scarf. Carter could not find his daughter at the moment.

Abby had forgotten her gloves and so Luka held her hands tightly. He insisted that she wore his, but she refused adamantly. The opposing team, Bishop Ward, took a time out.

"You two must be very proud of Joey." Another parent commented towards Abby.

"We are." Luka said, smiling, "and thank you." Abby finished before looking up at Luka; he grinned. Abby grinned back as she dug her hands deep within her coat pocket. Luka ran his finger down her scarf and pulled her towards her slowly; looking quickly in both directions to make sure no one was watching. He kissed her, quick at first, but Abby rocked on her tiptoes and deepened it. They parted and Luka draped his arm around Abby shoulder. The buzzer rang again. It was half time.


	10. Coffee

The wind picked up a bit, scattering golden leaves across the field as the game played on. Bishop Ward was only down by two points (3-1). Joey ran down midfield, trying to see what he could do to help out; he waited. Out of nowhere the ball stopped in front of him, ten seconds left on the clock. He passed it to Michael who was wide open for the goal, but Michael passed it back. Joey gave him a questioning look. Five seconds left. He saw the goal and went for it. He faked out a guy on his right and jumped over a guy on his left who had tripped over himself. The final buzzer rang as the ball swooshed against the right corner of the net. He came to his knees with excitement.

Carter climbed the steps into the stands at the sound of the final buzzer. The world moved in slow motion for John Carter. He looked again for Aimee and saw her running down to the center steps to the gate that led to the field, her red scarf flowing behind her. She stopped and Carter followed her daughter's gaze. It led to a boy; a boy who was being slapped on the back and risen onto his teammates shoulders. A boy, whose gaze was focused on Aimee. They shared a brief smile before Joey was whisked away.

A gust of wind came and blew a wrapper into Carter's face. He peeled it off his nose and held it out in the mercy of the wind before letting it go. Carter watched the blue wrapper twirl with the wind and as it flew by countless people; it landed on a brown shoe. Carter looked at the wrapper one last time, and looked up to see whose shoe it had landed on; it was Abby's. He watched her and Luka clapping and yelling, supporting the winning team. With the wind in his favor, he could make out Abby yelling, "Go Joey!" Sudden realization hit him: the boy everyone seemed to be praising was Joseph Kovac, Abby and Luka's son, the boy who his daughter had shared a smile with.

Carter quickly looked back to where Aimee had been standing, but couldn't find her red scarf. Instead, he found her walking across the field to congratulate Joey. Carter was sad; a reaction he didn't expect.

After a quick team meeting with the coach on the side of the field, Joey waved to Aimee and smiled. "So I guess you are the star player after all." Aimee teased.

"You could say that. After all, you did say I was going to win the game." They laughed. Joey zipped up his warm-up jacket all the way so that his collar closed around his chin. She boldly played with his zipper that was dangling underneath his chin. He could feel her skin touching his. "You ready?" he asked her, desperately wanting to get out of the cold. She nodded her head yes and Joey put her hand in hers, slowly walking out of the stadium under the harvest moon.

Abby and Luka shared a brief but satisfying kiss before heading out of the stands themselves. Luka held her close as they rounded the corner that led to the parking lot. "I'll get us some coffee if you get the car." Abby offered. Carter stood in the distance, watching.

"Oh, so you get to be warm while I freeze running to the car." Luka joked.

"Yep." Abby smiled.

Carter waited until Luka left before he approached the coffee stand. "Three coffee's" he said, pulling out a twenty. Abby jumped at the sound of Carter's voice. Spinning around to face him, she was at a loss of words. "Most people say thank you when some one offers to pay for their beverage." Carter continued, receiving his change. He tried to suppress a smile at the sight of Abby.

"What? What are you doing here?" she stammered, pulling her jacket closer around her small frame.

He answered honestly, "I came to see if my daughter made it safely to the game." He paused, "Actually I think she is going out with your son on a date tonight." Carter waited for Abby's reaction.

Abby blinked, her hair flowing with the wind around her. "Aimee?" she barely said. She just remembered Joey telling her that Aimee was French.

Carter grabbed the three coffees from the vendor and handed two to Abby. Luka pulled up in the silver Lexus SUV and quickly got out. Abby turned around at the sound of the car door being slammed.

"Let's go." She said to Luka, grabbing at his coat, attempting to stop him from lunging at Carter. Luka looked between and Abby and Carter and obeyed his wife's wishes. The two of them drove off leaving Carter with a cup of coffee and the wind ripping through his hair.

Abby and Luka drove home in silence, neither one of them touching the coffee. They laid in bed, Luka holding Abby close to him, and running his fingers through her hair and her moving the back of her hand slowly up and down his arm. Abby broke the silence. "It seems that our son is on a date with Carter's daughter." Luka shifted his position a bit to look at her. "I don't want Joey going out with her." She finished.

"I love you." Was all he could say, both of them acknowledging the fact that they didn't want Carter back in their lives.

Joey walked Aimee home. Upon approaching her house she stopped. Joey turned to face her. "Everything ok?" he asked.

"I just want to thank you." She said, out of the blue.

"For what?" he asked, taking one of her hands in his to keep it warm on the cold night.

"What do you say? I don't know…everything I suppose," she paused and looked down at the sidewalk, "for being a friend."

Joey looked at her blankly at first, not knowing how to interpret _friend_. She saw this and, "I mean," she didn't know what to say. Instead, she stood on her toes and kissed him.

Joey was shocked at first, but then he softened it, not wanting to let go. They parted and could see their breath, white, in the cold night air; both smiled. Joey walked Aimee to her door.

"Good night." He said and turned to walk away. Joey was in high spirits.


	11. Saturday Morning

Luka let Joey and Abby out of the car outside of O'Hare so that he could find a decent parking spot. It was Saturday morning and Joey was a bit puzzled at the fact that neither his mom nor his dad had asked him about his date with Aimee. He tried to dismiss it as he walked with his mom towards the correct gate terminal.

"You know which one to go to?" Joey asked, trying to create polite conversation.

"Thirty-six, up there, on the right." Abby said curtly.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked, "I thought you were looking forward to picking up Myles and Sophie?"

"I am." Abby gave a weak smile, trying to push Carter out of her head. Thoughts of him had been driving her crazy all night.

"Is Aunt Neela with Uncle Ray at the cemetery? Is that why we're picking them up?"

Abby stopped. She looked at Joey, how innocent and sweet he was, almost a man. She smiled.

"Yes, Neela is at the cemetery visiting Michael; Ray sometimes goes with her if she wants him to."

"Well, not to be mean, but why today? They knew Myles and Sophie were coming in and-"

"Neela always goes on Michael's birthday; their flight changed." Abby said sadly.

"I can't believe they're going to be freshmen during spring semester." Joey commented.

"Did you know twins run on your father's side of the family?" Abby said, not really knowing why she had said it.

"No." Joey said. "But they obviously run on Uncle Ray's side."

They found the gate and five minutes later Luka joined them. He grabbed Abby's hand, noticing that she was tense, and whispered something in her ear that made her blush. Joey rolled his eyes.

A flight attendant walked up slowly to Luka, holding out a clipboard with a single piece of paper.

"Are you Luka and Abby Kovac?" she asked in a British accent; she stole a look at Joey.

"Yes." Luka answered.

"Then will you please sign here to authorize the release of Myles and Sophie Barnett from British Airways and I'll need to see some identification as well."

Luka fumbled with his wallet as Joey was trying to find his two favorite cousins in the crowd. The flight attendant noticed this. "They'll be out shortly." She reached into her pocket. "Want a cookie?"

"Thanks." Joey said, looking at her oddly. Abby turned red trying to suppress a laugh.

Abby and Joey let out heavily grinning sighs after the flight attendant had left to go get the twins. Luka looked at them blankly.

"Did I miss something?" he asked.

"How old did she think I was…five?" Joey said, still grinning.

Abby explained to Luka how she had treated Joey like a child. He missed the humor.

Carter walked outside, feet bare and cold, to fetch the morning paper. When he came back into the kitchen, he saw Aimee fixing herself a glass of milk. She glanced at him quickly before sitting down at the table.

"Any plans for today that I need to know about?" Carter asked.

She shook her head no, "Just homework." Aimee wished her dad would just hurry up and ask her about last night.

"Have you checked out the library on Chapel road?" he asked her, out of the blue, flipping over the paper.

"No." she said, not really understanding where he was going to go with this.

"Thought maybe you wanted to study there; you know, less distracting."

"My room is fine thank you." Aimee said.

She stood up to retrieve her waffles from the toaster when she noticed something different; her father was smiling. Smiling like she had never seen before on her father's face. She grinned.

"What did you do last night?" she asked, a little more upbeat.

"Oh nothing." He paused, trying to decide what he would tell her. "I met an old friend." He added.

"Where?" she asked, getting excited.

"None of your business." He said, still smiling. "Besides, where did you go last night?"

"Oh, umm, I just went to the game like I said and got some pizza afterward with a friend."

"What's your friend's name?" Carter asked, perfectly knowing that his daughter went out on a date with a boy named Joey; Abby's Joey.

"I'll tell you my friend's name if you tell me yours."

"Fine." Carter agreed. He cleared his throat playfully. "Abby."

Aimee's eyes grew wide for a second, trying to be subtle with her excitement at the mention of Abby's name. "Joey." She said taking a swig of milk.

Carter noticed Aimee's reaction to Abby's name and found it peculiar. Had Kem mentioned something to Aimee about Abby? Aimee studied her father for a moment while pouring the syrup onto the freshly cut waffles.

"I'm surprised you approve of me going out at night with a boy." She said sarcastically.

"I trust him." Carter said.

"You've never met him." Aimee said, puzzled. She took a bite of her waffle.

"I trust you." He corrected. But it was true; he did trust Joey, knowing where he came from and all.

"Aunt Abby!" Sophie signed as she ran up to get a hug, leaving her suite case on the floor.

"Hello." Myles added, all proper and reserved. Joey gave him a pat on the back.

"Long time no see, huh?" Joey said, helping with Sophie's other bag.

"I missed Chicago." She signed, "I can't believe we were gone for so long." Sophie looked over at her brother.

"Yeah, it's good to be home, besides, I was getting a little tired of grandma having me play the piano for her every Thursday."

"Well, I never get tired of playing the violin." Sophie signed. "Or of grandma's curry."

"We know." Luka laughed as he pulled his niece into a hug.

Ray and Neela had sent their twin children Sophie and Myles to live with Neela's parents for a few months so they could pursue their musical ambitions at Oxford. They had obviously gotten their talents from Ray, Sophie with the violin and Myles on the piano. Joey had trouble reading Sophie's sign language because she had been gone for so long, but he quickly picked it back up. It made him sad sometimes, seeing her sign. She could hear just fine, but once, when she was three, she fell out of her window and a piece of glass had torn her vocal chords and she had broken her arm. But obviously she was past it now and so was he.

Joey led Sophie to the guest room, placing her two bags at the foot of the bed. She flopped down on it and undid the ribbon in her hair that her grandmother had put in that morning.

"Mom at the cemetery?" she asked kicking off her shoes.

Joey nodded. "Are you two being home schooled, or do you know what's going to happen up until the New Year?"

"Myles and I are going to be home schooled till spring semester starts. It will be weird, starting in the middle of the school year at Ignacious prep." She signed. "Especially since Myles and I are freshman. He doesn't seem worried about it though; but then again, when does my brother show any type of emotion? All he does is play the piano, fix computers, and make perfect grades. He's a robot!"

Joey laughed; it was true.

Abby and Luka sat on the couch in the living room. Abby was fidgety and Luka was at a loss of words. They sat there for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence between them.

"So Ray's coming by tonight to pick up the twins?" Abby asked.

"Yep." Luka said. He hated this…polite conversation. "Abby-"

"Why did he come back Luka?" she paused, "After all those years?" Abby shook her head.

"Are you upset about Carter co-"

"Aren't you?" Abby asked, cutting Luka off.

"Yes and no." he said calmly. Abby stared at him. "Abby, it's been a while, almost 18 years since we last saw him. Maybe he's different, more grounded."

"Kem obviously had the baby Carter wanted. Where's she? Kem doesn't like Chicago, he told me that." She trailed off at the end.

"Change of heart?" Luka tried. He hated seeing Abby all worked up. "What are you scared of?"

"Carter coming back into our lives and ruining everything we have and worked hard for."

"You don't think our love is strong enough?" Luka questioned, serious.

He wrapped his arms around her, beckoning her to rest her head against his chest. She obliged.

"I don't know." She mumbled, "It's all just so-"

"Complicated?"

"Yeah, complicated." Abby let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Luka kissed the top of her head as she nestled into him, trying to get more comfortable. He then closed his eyes too,

Sophie walked in on her Aunt and Uncle resting on the couch in each other's arms. Joey came out behind her. "They're always like that." Joey whispered.

"My parents too." Sophie signed before walking into Joey's room to join Myles.


	12. Speculation

Aimee took the limo to school Monday morning. As Andrew pulled them out of the driveway, a light snow began to fall. She tapped on the partition; Andrew lowered it. "Yes Ms. Carter?" he asked in the most monotone voice he could muster. Aimee giggled.

"Andrew, did my dad mention to you about seeing Abby Friday night?" she asked, still excited that her father had found the mystery woman.

Andrew raised an eyebrow, surprised. "No, actually he didn't."

"Well that's strange." Aimee said a little let down. Her father told Andrew everything.

"He probably knew I would talk him out of seeing her."

"Why's that?"

"Nothing in the journal?"

Aimee sighed; she hadn't read the journal all the way through. "I haven't read it lately." She admitted. "Can't you just tell me?" she whined in a playful tone.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"It would expedite the process of me finding out what love affair my father had before my mother." She paused before adding the next statement, "I knew they were never happy together, my mom and my dad."

"Your perception astounds me Miss Aimee." Andrew said tipping his hat. "But read the journal, it may help."

"Ok." She said, defeated.

"Just remember, try not to bring up Abby in front of your father."

"Why not?" Aimee asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Chaos would ensue if he were encouraged in his endeavor in reconnecting with Abby." He looked Aimee in the eye through the rear view mirror as the partition rose once more.

Michael and Joey sat in the weight room, sweating, after their morning practice. A white towel graced the back of Joey's neck and Michael was bragging about some girl named Sara he had hooked up with over the weekend.  
"So, did you and Aimee…well, ya know?" Michael prodded.

"No way." Joey said, "It was our first date."

"And?" Michael said, not fully understanding Joey's statement.

"Well, obviously you wouldn't understand, but it's special with her. I don't want to rush into anything."  
"Dude, she's your first girlfriend. Get over yourself and explore the field. They're all the same. You'll see after a while."

Joey just rolled his eyes as they walked to the shower room to go rinse off before school.

English was boring as usual as they started Hamlet. Aimee was picked to be Ophelia, Joey was picked to be Horatio, and Michael played Hamlet. They read the lines aloud all the while stealing glances at each other. Aimee and Joey almost started laughing when Michael began to get really enthusiastic about his lines.

"Something funny about this play?" Mr. Innes asked Joey.

"No sir." He said. Aimee blushed, clearly embarrassed.

"Tell me what it's about then?"

"The play?"

"Yes, Kovac the play. You know, you may be a star on the field but you must apply yourself in the classroom as well." Mr. Innes said annoyed

"I have an A." Joey said back, a little confused at his teacher's accusation.

"You find Michael's performance of Hamlet funny. What is it that Hamlet is going through right now with concerns to Ophelia?"

Joey looked at Aimee then back at Mr. Innes. "She's confused and lost," he began slowly, "she's in love with Hamlet and Hamlet is in love with her, but so much political unrest is going on that they can't have an honest relationship. Hamlet urges her to go away, to go to a convent actually, to save herself from him. But in the end, she's so messed up that she drowns herself in the river."

The room grew still and quiet. Michael looked at him blankly, clearly knowing he knew none of what Joey had just said. Michael just liked being Hamlet, goofing around was his trademark. Joey sighed. The bell rang.

"So is it true? Carter's back?" Jerry asked as Sam dropped some old charts into the filing cabinets.

"Who told you that?" she asked, surprised.

"I heard that too." Malik added as he walked by.

Ray joined them at the admit desk. "So, what's the gossip of the day?" he asked.

"Carter's back." Jerry said in a matter of fact tone.

"Oh yeah; I saw him a couple of months ago." He said passively.

They all stared at him blankly. "So…um…how man?" Malik asked, none of them wanting to register the fact that Ray had kept this vital information from them for so long.

"Neela and I saw him jogging past our house." Ray confirmed.

"I heard my name?" Neela interjected, handing a cup of coffee to Sam.

Weaver rounded the corner and everyone took their cue to be overly engrossed in their patient's charts and scattered. Weaver stopped to look at Jerry who was still just standing at the desk while the phone rang in the background. She opened her mouth, ready to bark at him, but he stopped her. "Um…I'll get that." He stammered, almost tripping over a phone cord while reaching for the phone.

Abby stood at her locker messing with a piece of hair that wouldn't seem to fit into her ponytail; Luka sat at the table flipping through a magazine, wasting time till his shift started. Abby stopped messing with her hair and turned to face Luka. He looked up.

"I want to meet her." Abby said, crossing the lounge to join him at the table.

"Who?" He asked, dumfounded. Abby smiled taking the magazine out of his hand.

"Aimee. I want to meet her."

Luka looked at her with skepticism; he thought that curiosity was getting the best of her and he wasn't blind to the fact that she had been contemplating about Carter an awful lot the past couple of days. "You want to see what she's like?" he said.

"Yeah, I guess."  
"If she's anything like Carter?"

Abby didn't know how to answer that. The answer was _yes_ obviously, but-

"Do you want to invite them over to dinner?" Luka asked, thinking himself that it would be a good idea.

Abby shook her head. "Them?"

"Uh, were we not just talking about Carter and his daughter Aimee?"  
"Luka, I don't want to see Carter again." Abby said as if he had just asked her the most random question in the world.

"Why not?"

"Why not! Do you not remember the drunken state he was in when we last saw him and what he almost did to Joey?" Abby was getting a bit upset. She thought if she saw Carter again, her whole world would unravel.

"Abby, don't you think it a bit weird if we just ask his daughter over?"

"Joey can ask her." Abby suggested, now standing, and making a fresh pot of coffee since Neela took the last cup to Sam.

"Abby-" Luka tried.

"Never mind. I don't want to talk about it." She said in a tone that ended the conversation.

Luka stood and walked up to her. He gently placed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and placed his hands on her shoulder. She looked up into his eyes. "Him being here, it doesn't change anything." He said. She nodded her head, understanding. Abby rolled her eyes as a tear escaped from them and fell down her check. "Hey…" he whispered, brushing the tear away with his thumb. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he pulled her closer to him.

"I'm just so scared." She barely said, as they hugged. They stood there, in each other's embrace, for some time, before they parted.

Abby walked towards the door and paused. She looked back at Luka who was smiling. She gave a weak smile in return, somehow knowing, everything would work out for the best in the end.


	13. Back To Normal?

There was a dramatic change in weather between the first game and the second. The field appeared to be frosted over as a light snow made a cover over the green turf. Every breath he took, Joey could see as he ran his daily five-mile jog after school along the track. He was only in his shorts and sweatshirt, but he was breaking a sweat. Joey was looking forward to meeting Aimee at the library on Chapel Hill later; it was a study date.

Carter paced back and forth in the kitchen, clutching his cell phone. He had dialed the number to Luka's apartment three times already but hadn't hit _talk_. Carter desperately wanted to see Abby again, and thought he would invite them over for lunch, or dinner, or maybe brunch. Oh! He didn't know what he wanted to do. He wasn't that interested in seeing Luka again, but to see Abby he probably had to see him too. Carter was still a little shaken from the last time he saw his once best friend; the way Luka had grabbed at his shirt, pulling him into the lobby towards the elevator doors. But he wanted to see Abby, and that's all that mattered.

Luka was happy that Abby decided not to invite Aimee for dinner. He wasn't comfortable with using Joey as a pawn in a battle that was set forth ages ago. Luka smiled as she walked by, muttering under her breath, something about Frank. Noticing him, Abby flashed Luka a smile and proceeded with her next patient. There was no question, he loved her deeply and always would.

Aimee shifted uncomfortably as she sat in the library waiting for Joey to help with her grammar, she had gotten another borderline B and it hadn't set well with her. She had arrived an hour early to examine her father's journal. Aimee slammed it shut as she saw Joey walking towards her, a huge grin on his face. She quickly shoved the journal back into her backpack and glanced at the clock; he was on time.

"Getting cold." He commented as he slid in the chair next to her.

"Were you running in this weather?" she asked as Aimee noticed he had on shorts. His cheeks were flushed.

"Yes," he smiled; "is that a problem?" he teased.

Aimee laughed. He took his English book from his drawstring bag and flipped to the correct page.

Sophie went to go get a book from the opposite shelf as the tutor turned his attention to Myles. She stopped suddenly. Leaning forward, she peeked in between the books on the shelf and saw her cousin sitting awfully close to a girl. After grabbing the book she needed, Sophie looked back at the tutor and saw that he was still teaching Myles something. Without saying a word she slid into the chair opposite Joey.

"Who's this?" she signed, looking Aimee up and down. Aimee just stared at her.

"Aimee," he began, laughing subtly, "I would like you to meet my cousin Sophie."

"Uh, hi?" she said in a loud voice thinking that Sophie was deaf. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Sophie this is Aimee, she's a new friend."

"She's your girlfriend and you better tell her I'm not hard of hearing." She signed quickly this time, looking straight at Aimee. Sophie crossed her arms.

"Oh, right. Aimee, Sophie isn't deaf, she's just…uh…to simply put it…mute."

Sophie slapped her head to indicate _duh!_

"Well, nice to meet you Sophie."

Sophie nodded her, gave a quick wink to Joey, and headed back to her table; book in hand.

Carter walked along the busy streets of Chicago; his mind was racing. Maybe he would ask Abby (and Luka) to dinner after Joey's game tomorrow…maybe.

Abby walked along Michigan Avenue with Neela and Ray, window-shopping. Luka wasn't getting off till much later so she thought why not. As she was about to enter the Gap with Neela, she spotted Carter out of the corner of her eye and paused; Neela and Ray didn't notice her sudden absence.

Abby let the door close in front of her as she saw Carter approaching.

"It's good to see you." He said politely, giving a little bow of the head as he stood in front of her.

"Carter-"

"I know I didn't leave on good terms." He said, before she could denounce him.

Abby looked at him, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth. She rolled her eyes, frustrated with herself and took his hand, pulling him into Starbucks across the street.

Sitting down at the corner table, he took off his gloves and rubbed his hands together.

"How's Kem?" Abby asked purposefully.

"She's dead Abby." He said hesitantly. Carter looked down at the table.

Abby was shocked; it was the last thing she expected to hear.

"Oh…I…I'm so sorry."

"At least I have Aimee right?" he asked her, truly asking.

"Yeah." Abby responded, becoming uncomfortable, shifting in her seat.

"How have you been?" Carter asked, trying to move the subject away from Kem and Aimee.

"Well," she began, "I got married to Luka about three years ago." She smiled at the memory.

Luka had proposed to her the morning of Joey's first day of high school. Abby had been truly surprised, because although they had been living like a married couple all these years, she hadn't thought about Luka still wanting to make it official.

Luka looked at the board and found it empty. After cosigning a couple of charts he left the ER to Pratt. Morris tried to protest, something about being more senior, but Luka just walked right out the door and looked forward to seeing Abby soon.

Flipping open his cell, he found that Abby had left a message telling him to meet her, Neela, and Ray on Michigan Avenue.


	14. At the Ready

Luka spotted Neela and Ray walking hand in hand as the second snowfall began. He didn't see Abby and approached them worried. "Where's Abby?" he asked.

"We lost her at the Gap." Neela said as if it were no big deal.

"We figured she ditched us." Ray added.

"Thanks, I'll try calling her again."

Abby cell phone vibrated in her coat pocket. She jumped at the feeling and whisked it out of her coat and flipped it open.

"Hello?" she asked a bit distracted.

"Abby." Luka said, "Where are you?"

"Hey Luka," Abby said happily. Carter rolled his eyes and sunk down into his chair. Abby gave him a weird look. "I'm in Starbucks. Let me meet you."

"Ok, I'm with Ray and Neela…" he looked at the sign above his head, "We're in front of Panera bakery."

"Give me five minutes." Abby replied. She hung up and turned her attention towards Carter. "I have to go." She said, beginning to tie her scarf back around her neck.

"No, you want to go." He corrected. She sighed and stood up.

"I'll see you around."

Joey looked up to find his parents in high spirits upon their return home. He closed his Calculus book and crossed the room.

"Where've you two been? You've been off for hours?" Joey questioned. Abby snickered.

"Jo, have a good day at school?" Luka asked, suppressing his own laughter at Joey's question.

"Whatever." He just said, grabbing his books and heading to his room.

The next day was uneventful save one minor discovery. Aimee and Joey laughed at Michael's joke as they walked out of U.S. History to the mid-morning assembly. Halfway down the first hall that led to the gymnasium, Aimee stopped. "I forgot my book, I need to go and get it."

Michael and Joey sighed, which in turn made her laugh. "What?" she questioned.

"I'll go and get it." Joey offered, "Just don't forget to save me seat!"

"Grab my M&M's too while you're at it bro." Michael shouted back as the second hall began to fill with noisy students.

The room was dark, the shades drawn, and Joey easily found Michael's candy under his textbook; he had a bit more trouble finding Aimee's book though. Joey tried to remember what it looked like; he remembered there was a mouse on the cover and the word _flowers_. He was about to give up and head back so he wouldn't be late, but he placed his hand on top of her sweater and felt the book underneath. Joey quickly pushed the sweater aside and picked up _Flowers for Algernon_ by Daniel Keyes; the picture floated to the ground. Joey bent to pick it up. He saw his mom. Joey saw a picture of his mom with another man and happy. The bell rang.

Stuffing the picture into his blazer, he ran towards the gym with the book in his hand.

Luka and Sam stood in the elevator, transferring a sleeping patient. Sam rubbed her hands together. "Cold?" Luka asked. Sam shook her head no.

"What do you think about Carter being back?"

"It doesn't really affect me." Luka said, a little distant.

"So you haven't seen him or anything? What about Abby?"

"We ran into him at one of Joey's games."

"Awkward huh?" Sam chuckled.

The elevator doors opened and they resumed their silence once more while pushing Mrs. Anderson to the ICU.

Mrs. Callahan walked briskly down the stone corridor that led to a particular advanced French class. The heater had been off all morning and she hated having to wear her large green sweatshirt over her new blouse. It looked awkward about her small frame, but nonetheless, she knocked on the classroom door after adjusting her glasses to the tip of her nose. The door opened with a smile from Ms. Allen and she took the blue piece of paper out of Callahan's hands.

Ms. Allen walked over to Aimee and handed her the piece of paper. Joey glanced over in Aimee's direction, but was pulled back into his group discussion at the mention of his name. He could see out of the corner of his eye Aimee sigh and crumple the piece of paper out of frustration.

The final bell rang and Joey struggled to catch up with Aimee who usually waited for him after class. "Aimee!" he called after her. Almost stumbling down the stone steps. She stopped and faced him.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said quickly.

"Everything ok?" he asked, readjusting his backpack that became suddenly heavy.

"I lost my ride to my fencing lesson and it starts in half an hour. I need to catch a taxi or something."

Aimee looked up and down the street for any hint of a yellow car. Joey took her hand. "Come with me." He beckoned, pulling her along. "You know the intersection?"

"Uhh…Bradley and Berkshire…where are you taking me?" Their paces quickened and she smiled at his spontaneity.

"The El!" he said.

They climbed the steep steps leading onto the platform quickly. Joey paid for both of them and pushed through the swinging metal bars; Aimee followed. Joey took her to the center of the train, due to the lack of seats, and they inhaled deeply, laughing, out of exhaustion from their sudden burst of energy.

"Fencing?" he questioned, a little skeptical.

Aimee blushed. "Umm, my dad knew how and I started about two years ago. He wanted me to keep going at it…so yes, fencing."

Joey looked at her, raising an eyebrow, trying to make her laugh.

"I'm quite good."

Aimee led Joey up the steps outside the rundown gymnasium. The snow was now falling thickly around them. "Well, this is it." She said, not really wanting him to go.

"Mind if I stay?" he asked, playfully tugging on her scarf.

At that moment, Aimee's picture fell slowly out of Joey's pocket like a huge snowflake falling in the wind. Aimee's admiring smile suddenly turned to absolute disbelief. Joey closed his eyes, instantly regretting taking the picture. Aimee bent down and snatched it up.

"Aimee…I…" Joey tried, but his words failed him. Aimee looked at him with a hurt and puzzled look on her face. Without saying a word, she turned away from him and walked into the gym.

Joey followed, opening the double doors before him. "Aimee wait!" he yelled, his voicing echoing against the walls. About a dozen heads looked in his direction; all clad in white, foils at their feet. Aimee ignored him and began to unbutton her coat and strip away her uniform until she was just in pair of navy blue cotton shorts and a wine colored camisole. She balled up he clothes and threw them forcefully into her bag.

"Ryan called in sick," the coach bellowed in Aimee's direction, "you're without a partner."

She looked at her coach; not possibly believing her day could get any worse.

"I'll do it!" Joey said quickly. Beginning to walk in her direction.

"And you are?" The coach questioned.

"An ass." Aimee interjected, finishing up with her ponytail.

"Language please." The coach said.

"Let me explain…" Joey whispered, walking up to her. He was getting a little annoyed by her attitude.

"No street shoes young man." Joey kicked off his Sambas and stood in front of Aimee. "Gear up."

"But Mr. Ha-" Aimee protested.

"Aimee, lest I remind you time is of the essence and you need to practice for the regional."

"But he doesn't even know how to fence!"

Mr. Haworth turned towards Joey. "Young man?"

"You're not the only one with a father who knows how to fence." Joey said coldly, his eyes piercing into Aimee's.

"Well, this will be interesting." Mr. Haworth said underneath his breath as Aimee stormed off to the women's locker room.

Five minutes later, Aimee came out, clad in white, mask already on. She grabbed the two remaining foils and threw one at Joey. Much to her annoyance he caught it expertly at the hilt.


	15. Difference of Opinion

Chuny restlessly dealt with paperwork because Sam left early to pick up Alex from the airport. A hand stopped her unyielding pen. She looked up, blinked, and a huge smile formed on the corner of her mouth. "Dr. Carter!" she beamed, and with her announcement came Ray, Neela, Morris, and Jane.

Carter surveyed the people before him and gave them all warm smiles. Out of the corner of his eye though, he could see Abby and Pratt wheeling a patient towards the elevator. Quickly scanning for Luka, he politely excused himself and made his way over.

Aimee and Joey walked a slow and delicate circle around each other. Aimee, glaring and Joey, angry. "She's my mother!" Joey spit out as Aimee struck him first. He blocked her expertly.

"Who?" she said, taking another jab at Joey. He stepped back and lowered his foil.

"In the picture, it's my mom."

Aimee didn't listen and went for him again, and again, he blocked her once more. She became increasingly frustrated, "Why'd you take it?" she demanded, blocking Joey's arc to her arm.

"Why do you have it?" he questioned, anger building, almost nicking her torso. She backed up quickly on her toes. Feet planted, she went for him again,

"You're avoiding the issue." She began in a self-righteous tone.

"Which is?"

"You looked at the picture when I asked you not to and then you took it from me!" she said, flabbergasted. Their fencing continued.

"It fell out of your book Aimee!"

"You could have put it back without looking and respect my wishes!"

"Don't give me that crap!" he yelled fighting more fiercely; his words stung her. "It landed face up!"

"But-"

"But what?" Joey demanded, finally striking her on the shoulder.

Aimee now took a step back, and with her face getting sweaty, tore of her mask and tossed it to the floor. Now Joey could truly see the hurt and anger building up inside her.

"Enough!" Mr. Haworth interjected. They both ignored him and continued, foils clanging.

Abby sat in the cafeteria, sipping on some coffee, and flipping through a random magazine she had _borrowed_ from ICU. Neela was about to join her, cafeteria tray in hand, but stopped at the sight of Carter gracefully sliding into the seat opposite Abby.

"Never imagined you reading Glamour." He said.

"Good afternoon Carter, what brings you here?" she asked in a sarcastic tone. He leaned in as to whisper.

"To see you." He said slyly, a smirk upon his face. Abby's pager went off.

"I gotta go." Abby said, standing up, and pushing her chair into the table.

"You always have to go." He said, defeated, slumped in his chair like a little boy who was just given a time out.

Abby rolled her eyes, ignored him, and proceeded towards the stairs that led to the ER. Carter followed. Upon passing Neela, who had been watching the whole affair, Abby gave her a desperate look.

"Dr. Carter!" Neela beamed, as she put on her best fake, interested smile. Carter stopped; it wasn't in his nature to be rude. His eyes were still on Abby who walked down the narrow corridor to the stairs.

"Neela." He said evenly. "Good to see you again."

"You too!" she said, still beaming. Neela was trying to give Abby an adequate head start to the ER. "Has Ray showed you our boy and girl?"

"You have kids?" Carter asked, interested, but still distracted.

Neela pulled out two pictures and hand them to Carter. "Twins! Sophie and Myles."

Carter, with his mind off Abby for the moment, looked at the two photographs of the two teenagers before him. He could immediately tell, by just looking at the two pictures, what physical and personality traits each had picked up from Neela and Ray's gene pool. Both Sophie and Myles's hair was dark brown, but with a hint of being kissed by the sun. Myles's skin tone was dark like his mother's but had Ray's awkward smile. Carter could tell he was short like Neela but had had Ray's build. Carter remembered Neela telling him that her son was a bit of an introvert and that he took an interest in concert piano with a flair for computer engineering. His eyes were Ray's too, hazel.

As for Sophie, you could tell that the two were somewhat related, but she was a different story. Her hair matched her brother's perfectly, but was wavy and hung just past her shoulders. Her complexion was Ray's; fair. Sophie's delicate smile was Neela's to a **T** and her eyes were a deep brown. Carter could tell from the picture that she was slightly taller than her brother, but still maintained Neela's small frame. He also remembered Neela commenting on how Sophie took after Ray with her liveliness, spontaneity, and passion for Emo, punk rock, and jazz. Neela also mentioned Sophie to be an aspiring concert violinist.

Joey left Aimee at the gymnasium, his whole body shaking with anger. They had fought, exchanged hurtful words, and Joey had come out on top, finally throwing Aimee off balance with some footwork his father had taught him long ago. Aimee was crushed and hurt as well. Passing his favorite pizza place, he made his way towards County General.

Neela could only distract Carter for so long and after fifteen minutes worth of polite conversation, Carter found himself heading towards the ER.

"Hey Abby!" Frank bellowed.

"What?" she asked, a little annoyed.

"Your hubby got stuck in some meeting and wanted to know if you could stick around for another hour."

"Thank you Frank." Abby said, almost walking into Jane.

"Dr. Lockhart?"

"Jane. You know, you can call me Abby."

"Ok…well…Abby?"

"Yes?"

"Can you take the next trauma; it's ETA is ten minutes and in route."

"Sure." Abby sighed, taking the nurses notes from her and heading out to the ambulance bay. Carter followed.

She stood outside, cold, but relishing the fresh air. Pulling her lab coat tighter around her, Carter tapped her shoulder.

Abby jumped. "Jesus Carter!"

He laughed, "Cold?"

"Are you lurking around the ER now?"

"I was hoping to spend some time with you." He said, sadly. He looked at her and she took his breath away, like always. Her cheeks were rosy in the cold wind and her eyes sparkled with life.

"Well, I'm obviously working." She said, becoming irritated. "How's Aimee liking it here?" Abby asked to distract him.

"She's adjusting well." He paused, looking down to the ground, rocking on his feet. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Abby said, looking at him strangely.

"Are you happy?"

Abby rolled her eyes at the question; THE question. "Carter, there is nothing between you and me. Nothing. I love Luka and he loves me and we have a son. I have a family now and we love each other very much." She paused. "Why can't you get that?"

Carter stepped closer to her, blocking the wind that rushed through her hair. Abby crossed her arms and looked down at her feet.

"Carter-" she whispered.

"I never stopped loving you." He said. Abby kept her eyes on her feet. He continued, "All these years, I never stopped."

Abby finally looked up, her eyes piercing into his. "Don't make me do this." She said.

"What?"

"This." And she turned to walk away.

Carter's mind was no longer in control of his heart. His mind told him no, but his actions were beyond their neurological commands. He took Abby's hand as she turned to leave and gently pulled her towards him. Abby let him, not fully understanding what was going on; but she saw it in his eyes. Carter pulled her close, slipping his arm around her waist.

Joey walked around the corner.

"John-" she said, protesting; but he didn't listen. Instead, he kissed Abby with so much passion and love for her; he thought his heart would break if he ever let go.

Abby felt nothing and pulled back, just as Ray came out to help her with the incoming trauma.


	16. Kovac vs Carter

Joey dropped his backpack and ran towards the man in Aimee's picture, Carter.

"Get away from her!" Joey yelled, as he pushed Carter away from Abby. "Leave her alone!"

Carter stumbled a little at Joey's sudden appearance and force. Joey went for him again.

"Joey!" Abby screamed, trying to grab at her son. Ray ran towards them to pull him off of Carter.

Instead of a seventeen year old boy, Carter saw so much Luka in him that the pushed Joey back with so much force, knocking him into the ground.

"Don't touch him!" Abby screamed towards Carter. She went and knelt besides Joey. He had torn a whole in his school pants and his knee was bleeding.

"I'm so sorry." Carter said slowly in a low whisper.

Ray helped Joey up and let him lean on his shoulder. "Just leave us alone." Abby said, her hair whipping around her face, her cheeks still the color of soft roses. Joey glared at Carter as Ray helped him into the ER; Ray just shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm fine!" Joey protested to Ray before his mother walked in, closing the curtain around them. He held an icepack to his head and was pressing gauze on his knee with the other hand. "Is that Aimee's dad?" Joey asked now, a little less riled up.

"How'd you-" Abby questioned, still a bit flustered.

"I found this." Joey took the ice pack off his forehead, wincing as he reached for his back pocket. He held the picture out in front of his mom.

Abby gasped and Ray looked over her shoulder. Abby remembered that night like it was yesterday. Her brother had come into town with some girl, a little too happy, and had insisted on a double date. She remembered them dancing on the portable wooden dance floor and Carter holding her in his arms as the one slow song began to play. And at the end of the seemingly perfect night, Carter had-

"Mom?"

"Yes hunny?" Abby blinked, coming out of her trance.

"Who is he?"

Abby thought for a moment before answering, "An old friend who has disrupted our lives for the last time."

Joey stared at her, not really understanding.

Aimee slammed the door shut upon entering her house and stomped all the way up the stairs. Throwing her bags onto her bedroom floor, she sat at her desk and began to cry so hard that she thought she would never breath again. Aimee was just so exhausted with everyone and everything, and her passionate tears began to relax her tension. She cried for her mom, for her dad, for moving to America, for her B in English, and she even cried for Joey because deep down inside, she knew she didn't want to lose him.

"So, what happened to your forehead Jo?" Luka asked at the dinner table while cutting off a piece of his baked chicken. Abby flashed a _don't tell_ look at her son.

"I, uh, ran into a locker…silly huh?" he finished quickly. It was a horrible lie and Abby rolled her eyes. Luka believed him, and why wouldn't he? Joey had never lied before in his life.

The rest of dinner consisted of small talk, and later Joey went to sulk in his room.

Ray was last to sit down at the dinner table. Neela passed a bowl of mashed potatoes in his direction and he accepted it gratefully.

"Any interesting cases today?" Myles asked in his trademark, monotonous voice. He looked between his mom and dad.

"Well," Neela began, "I was doing charts all day in surgery…uh, Ray?"

"Joey nearly attacked Carter in the ambulance bay this afternoon."

"What!" Sophie signed, getting excited.

"Yeah," Ray chuckled, "I had to pull him off." He paused for a moment. "But the thing that bothered me the most was that Carter fought back."

"You're kidding." Neela said, surprised.

"Joey got a small gash on his knee and a head laceration, but other than that, he's fine."  
"Is he ok?" Myles asked. Sophie looked between her father and brother.

"Like I said, he's fine." Ray smiled at Myles's concern.

"But I still can't believe Dr. Carter…" Neela trailed off.

"I know." Ray finished.

Sophie shifted in her seat impatiently. She looked at Myles who was now engrossed in his salad, then at her mom. "Who's Carter?" she asked. "And why was Joey attacking him?"

"Sophie, it's a bit complicated." Neela said, clearly not wanting to delve into the conversation any further.

Sophie rolled her eyes and decided that she'll just have to ask Joey herself.


	17. Secrets and Lies

Joey lost the game, his ball soaring high above the intended goal. It was Ignacious Prep's fist loss of the season.

Thoughts of Carter had been rushing through Abby's mind, his kiss. Her guilty conscious made her distant and unaware of Luka's now constant worried glances and comments of concern. Joey had noticed this too and often felt sick to his stomach knowing that had lied to his father. No longer did they acknowledge each other; now, they were a family of robots with secrets and lies driving them further apart.

When did this all happen, Joey thought? Since when were his parents not in each other's longing embrace? When did his father stop smiling, when did his mother stop caring about how his school day went? And when did he become an unhappy, brooding teenager? It was if a dark cloud had descended upon the family Kovac.

School was worse. Aimee no longer ate lunch with Joey or even talked to him for that matter. And why should she? He had betrayed her trust. But he had the right…didn't he? She had a picture of his mom; he had a right. That picture, the past; that's what was driving the present into a downward spiral.

Aimee didn't know about her father and Joey's struggle, She didn't know about her father's unforgivable kiss to the mystery woman; the woman in the picture, Abby, Joey's mom. Aimee couldn't believe it; as much as she knew it to be true, she didn't want to believe the possibility because that would justify Joey's actions.

She avoided him. Out of spite? She didn't even know; she just couldn't face him. But she missed him. Aimee missed his kindness, him thinking her sarcasm was funny, him asking a million questions about her books, him playing soccer and winning every game…well, almost every game. She missed his warm smile, their walks, their random conversations about nothing, and the way his hands fit so perfectly into hers…his kiss.

The ER was busy; very busy. Some idiot had decided to blow up a chemistry lab at a nearby junior college. Burn victims were coming in seconds apart; they didn't even know what chemical they were working with. The fire department was streaming in along with paramedics and policemen. Morris was M.I.A. and Luka had paged Neela five minutes ago. That left Ray, Pratt, Abby, Jane, DuBenko, and Sam. Haleh and Chuny were on their way in.

Throughout the chaos Ray observed Abby and Luka. Luka was barking orders at her and Abby always had something to say back. Ray figured she hadn't told Luka what happened and he hated to see them like this.

After many countless hours the chaos ended; all victims still alive save one, the idiot. Quiet suddenly engulfed the ER.

Luka headed towards the lounge tired and grumpy. He pushed the door open, took a few steps, and landed on the big, black, leather sofa. Closing his eyes, he took a long awaited nap.

Not seeing Luka who was definitely asleep on the couch, Sophie and Myles reluctantly walked into the lounge due to the fact of their tutor calling in sick. "What some pop?" Myles asked his sister who was starting up her laptop. She nodded her head yes as her earplugs popped into place. Myles left the lounge and headed for the vending machines.

Luka began to snore, and Sophie looked in his direction. Non-startled, she continued to listen to her music. "Sophie?" Luka said, half asleep, bringing his hand up to his forehead.

"My music too loud?"

"No…no…" he trailed.

Myles came back with a Coke and a Sprite. "Hello." He said to his uncle who looked liked he needed some sleep.

"Myles." He said. Feeling uncomfortable trying to nap in front of his niece and nephew, he sat up. Walking over to the coffee pot, he poured himself a cup.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw through the tiny window Abby and Pratt laughing. She randomly glanced in his direction, caught his eye, her smile faded.

"How's Joey?" Myles asked. Sophie took one earphone from her ear.

Luka turned to face his nephew. "Uh, fine. Why do you ask?"

"Didn't he get in a fight with some guy?" Sophie signed.

"No, uh, he told me he ran into a locker."

Myles laughed; a rare act on his part.

"Our dad said he was attacked and pushed to the ground, here, at the ER." Sophie signed quickly. Luka looked between the two of them, not wanting to believe…

"He lied." Myles whispered more to himself, confessing Joey's obvious sin.

Sophie and Myles watched Luka open the door to the lounge in search for their father. "Dr. Barnett!" he almost yelled. Ray jumped at his suddenness and followed Luka as he walked into an empty exam room.

"Dr. Kovac?" Ray said calmly.

"Did, uh, Jo get in a fight with someone the other day? Here?"

Haleh busted through the doors, "Dr. Barnett your patient is seizing."

"Ask Abby…" Ray said to Luka as he followed Haleh out of the room.

Luka was growing suspicious of the past days events. Rechecking the board and the flow of charts, he went in search for Abby. He found her, back towards him, chatting away with Neela. Neela's face fell suddenly and Abby turned around. "Can we talk?" Luka asked, he tried to seem nonchalant, but it wasn't working.

Abby looked back at Neela, "Give me ten minutes."

Neela nodded, took her charts, and walked toward admin. When Abby turned back around and saw Luka putting his hands on his hips, she knew this wasn't going to go well.

"Uh, Sophie told me that Joe got in a fight in the ER."

Abby blinked.

"And then Ray said that I should ask you."

Still, Abby said nothing, a distant of look of sadness pouring onto her face.

Luka took a step closer, "Abby-"

"Whatever you do…whatever I say…this was in no ways Joey's fault…he doesn't know."

"What happened?"

"Carter, he-"

"Wait, Carter?"

"Luka please.", she paused to make sure he was listening to her. He took her hand in his. "He came into the ER, looking for me, and I don't know what happened…" she trailed off.

"What?" Luka asked slowly, not really wanting to know the answer. Abby had dropped his gaze, not wanting to see the future hurt in his eyes.

Luka lifted her chin and wiped away a stray tear. His eyes beckoned for her to continue.

"He kissed me Luka."

And it was as if a thousand knives began to piece at his heart as he let go of his wife's hand.

"Joey saw, ran up to him, pushed him away from me…"

"You let him kiss you?" he asked hurt, in a whisper.

"And then Carter pushed Joey to the ground...Luka, please."

Luka put his hands in the air to silence her then ran them through his thick black hair. He gave one last glance at Abby and began to walk away.

"Luka…wait!" she tried, wiping away another escaped tear; but he didn't look back.


	18. Make Up Session

Fire Drill. Aimee had left her coat, gloves, and scarf inside Ms. Allen's classroom and was now shivering in the cold. There was about four inches of snow on the blacktop. Joey watched at a distance; Aimee's cheeks turning red, her rubbing her hands together, desperately trying to get warm. He shuffled over to her, took off his gloves, and handed them to her.

"No thank you." She said sternly.

"You're cold.", he said passively, still holding the gloves to her.

"No…I…am…not.", she stuttered, her teeth chattering. Joey laughed slightly. "What?" she snapped.

"You're stubborn, you know that?" he smiled. She took the gloves from his hands and put them on. They were a bit big, but warm.

Joey dug his hands into his letterman jacket's pocket. You could see his breath in the cold air.

"Sorry you lost the game." She ventured.

"Me too."

"And, and I'm sorry I overreacted." She looked up at him now, truly looking at him.

"Sorry about the whole fencing thing."

"Don't be, I let you win.", she joked.

"Is that right?" they both laughed, catching each other's eye. Their gaze broke at the bell signaling them to come inside. Aimee slipped her hand into his as they shifted through the snow; Joey smiled.

Abby and Luka had the day off. Abby sat at home, wrapped in a blanket, reading her latest Stephen King novel, coffee in hand. Luka hadn't talked to her that morning or the night before. She missed him and hated herself for letting Carter drive a wedge between them. Luka crossed Fifth Avenue in hopes to clear his head with a morning walk. Although the sidewalks were thick with snow, he trudged through them, trying to find some clarity.

Carter joked with the man selling him his coffee on the side of the road. He tipped him twenty after taking a sip of the warm, black, liquid. Luka stood in the distance, watching, waiting for him to walk in his direction. Luka wanted to punch the living day light out of him, but then decided against it; he was better than that. Head down and smiling about something, Carter walked in Luka's direction.

Joey and Aimee sat in the hallway by themselves eating lunch. It was obviously much too cold outside. Aimee set down her book, now _Nine Stories_ by J.D. Salinger, and stole one of Joey's chicken rings.

"So you like them now?"

"I tried one last week…peer pressure go to me."  
"I see." He gave a small laugh of amusement and then took a sip of his bottled lemonade.

"Random question.", she said, taking a bite out of her own turkey and Swiss sandwich.

"Okay…"

"What's your middle name?" she paused, then laughed, "I've always wondered."

"Eric. My middle name is Eric. Josep Eric Kovac."

"What?" Aimee giggled, because to her _Josep_ sound like _yasip_. "Yasip?"

"It's the Croatian form of Joseph. My grandfather's name actually. My dad, he's from there, Croatia I mean."

"And Eric?" she asked, suddenly intrigued.

"My uncle's name," he paused, thinking, "You know, he's a pretty funny guy."

Aimee smiled and picked her book back up.

"What's yours?"

"My what?" she played, her eyes not leaving the paragraph she was reading.

"Your middle name."

"Oh, you'll just make fun."

"Like you did with my name?"

"Do your parents call you that? Yasip?"

"No, my mom, she calls me Joey and my dad calls me Joe; besides, you're trying to change the subject."

"Millicent."

Joey began to laugh, "I'm sorry…Millicent?"

"It was supposedly my grandmother's name.", she said, laughing too and hitting him playfully on his shoulder.

"Ow, that hurt." He joked.

After their laughter dissipated, Aimee continued, "So your full name is Josep Eric Kovac. Josep after your grandfather and Eric after your uncle."

"Kind of." Aimee gave Joey a questioning look. "I'm also named after this famous boxer…I think he was called the _pure fighter_ or something like that."

"Interesting."

"Not really."

Then, the bell rang.

"Luka!" Carter exclaimed upon seeing his dark figure standing before him in front of a background of snow. Luka's hand clenched. He waited till Carter was standing right in front of him. Carter, his goofy grin spread across his face, opened his arms to his old friend.

"Hello." Luka said gloomily, a little bit of anger rising in his chest at the sight of him.

"I've forgotten how cold it gets here." Carter tried.

"Leave us alone." Luka finally said.

"What?" Carter said taken aback. His smile faded from his face.

"Carter, John, I'm not an idiot. I know what you did." Luka was trying very hard to remain calm.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Carter replied arrogantly, a mistake on his part.

"You kissed my wife." Luka said, his voice rising.

"She tell you that, or did you hear-"

"And you attacked my son." Luka continued.

"I think he may have exagg-"

"He's only seventeen!" Luka finally lashed out.

Carter just stood there, silenced, eyes blinking. He shifted in his stance a bit. "Well…" he began hesitantly, "Don't you think Abby should decide?"

"There's nothing to decide Carter!" Luka yelled, taking his hand out of his pockets, in disbelief of what a fool Carter was being.

"But-"

"But what?"

"I…I love her…" Carter trailed, scared of what Luka might say next, or even worse, do next.

"She doesn't love you back." Luka said, in forced calmness. "Just stay away from us." He turned to leave, wanting nothing to do with him anymore.

"Well, I can't do that."

Luka turned around, a questioning look on his face. He didn't wait for an answer and once more turned to leave.

Abby jumped, spilling some coffee, as Luka slammed the door shut behind him. "I don't want Joe seeing Aimee anymore." He said, walking to stand across from Abby, shedding his coat, scarf, and gloves in the process.

"Ok…I think they broke up anyways."

"Good." He said quickly.

"Luka-" Abby said, understanding that something had happened.

"Do you love him?"  
"Carter?" Abby asked confused.

"Do you love him?" Luka asked again, almost losing his patience.

"No!"

"Do you love me?"

"Luka, you know you don't need-"

"Do you love me?"

"Yes! Of course I do.", she said offended.

Luka saw this and immediately relaxed his stance, ashamed. Abby stood, ready to…she didn't know what really what but-

He walked over to her, slowly. That look in his eyes she'd only seen once before when she had gone to his apartment, one night, after work, upset about Sydney, all those years ago. His eyes, so full of compassion…but instead, it was him who began to weep silently, his hands coming to his face. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered. Abby took his hands away from his face and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head into his chest, longing for him to hug her back, to be close to him. He hugged her endearingly and she slowly lifted her head, taking in his warm scent, staring into his sad eyes. And then, after Luka's sensual kiss, they were lost in each other.


	19. An Abrupt Change

_Sorry it took me so long to update. Thanks for being patient with me. Hope you all in enjoy. Oh! and I have more chapters written, I just need to type them all up. So I promise to type them all up before I write anymore. Thanks again :) Ianni_

Joey awoke to the sound of his parents giggling. Throwing back the covers, he yawned and pulled on a red shirt to go with his blue boxers. He saw his mom flirting with his dad, almost on the verge of a playful food fight. Luka and Abby's faces fell at the sight of their son. "Good morning to you too." Joey said with an edge. "We need to talk." Luka said a little too stiffly. Joey sat down, now with glass of apple juice in hand, and looked between his mom and dad. "What's going on?" he asked slowly. Joey took a sip of the juice.

"Your mother and I think it best if you stop seeing Aimee."

Joey began to choke on the juice. He coughed, "Does this have to do with Aimee's dad?"

"Yes." Luka answered honestly.

"Well, that's not fair!" Joey spat out in disbelief.

"For the safety and integrity of this family, it is."

"Mom?"

"Joey, we want you home right after practice." Abby added sadly.

"And if I'm not?" Joey said defiantly.

"Josep Eric Kovac, you will respect our wishes!" Luka finally bellowed.

Joey slammed his glass down, walked up to his room, and slammed the door behind him.

Carter waited for Aimee at the foot of the stairs. She skipped down them in high spirits and halted at the sight of her father. "Good mor-"

"Aimee." Carter cut her off. " Are you still seeing Joey Kovac?"

"Yes.", she said, a small smile forming out of the corner of her mouth.

"Well, consider yourself single from now on."

"What's going on?"

"That boy is trouble and I am asking you not to see him."

"You can't do that?" she said, very confused.

"I got you a job after school at the Barnes and Noble.", Carter said passively and turned to leave.

"Dad!" Aimee yelled.

"Andrew will pick you up from school from now on. And then he'll pick you up from work to take you home."  
Aimee slammed her bag down and began to pout on the stairs.

Joey was called out of morning practice to Mrs. Ernst's office.

"Please sit down."

"Mrs., Ernst, no offense, but can you call me out of theology instead?"

She handed him a piece of yellow paper. "Mr. Innes has asked me to place you in his advanced English class. That now changes your whole schedule around and I'm in the process of finding a new mentor for Aimee to follow."

"But-"

"But what Mr. Kovac? You should be grateful that Mr. Innes sees such potential in you. Plus, it looks good on the college applications. By the way, have you done in college visits yet? Oh, and…"

Joey tuned out his counselor's voice and looked down at his new schedule. He no longer had any classes with Aimee, not even the same lunch.

Aimee opened her locker door and found a small note wedged in the grating:

_Aimee, meet me at the practice field after school._

_If not, can you call me?_

_Joey_

She quickly stuffed the paper into her bad and ran down the hall to her study hall. She thought it odd for him to leave a note…although he wasn't in English or Physics today. Aimee pushed the idea our of her mind, knowing that she would see him at lunch

Joey ate lunch with a couple of his friends from the soccer team, but he missed Aimee's presence. He listened to his teammates complain about the latest theology assignment, but he really wasn't paying attention.

After waiting for Joey for some time, Aimee decided to head up to the library for her lunch hour; check email, read some of her book, think about her father's sudden opposition to Joey…

The final bell rang at the end of the day and Joey shuffled over to the gymnasium for the afternoon practice. Aimee debated whether or not she had time to swing by the practice field by the gym, but finally thought against it. She had seen her father's temper before and did not wish to be the fuel for his fire. Joey waited a while, but after fifteen minutes, he rushed in to the gymnasium so he wouldn't be late for workout.

Abby and Luka sat on the soda in each other's arms, about to test their son's character. Joey had fifteen more minutes to be home, or Luka was going to go out and look for him.

"Luka?"

"Uh huh." He nodded, letting his hands run through Abby's hair.

She yawned, "What we're doing…do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"I do." He said comfortably, confident in his answer.

"Then why do I feel as id we're in some bad coming of age movie?"

Luka chuckled and let her lay her head on his chest; his arms, dropping down to her waist, pulling her closer.

"It will all work out in the end." He said, planting a kiss on her forehead. They both sighed.


	20. Pater Noster

Advent. All school mass.

For the past few weeks, Joey and Aimee rarely saw each other. They had resorted to secret cell phone conversations, constant email, and random notes in their lockers. They'd wave to one another in the hall, flash a quick smile, and be on their way to their respective classes.

But this day was different; all school mass and Aimee had slipped Joey a note in his locker telling him to meet her by the water fountain on the way to the gymnasium.

"Mr. Kovac! Loitering around the water hole now?" Mr. Innes questioned as he spotted Joey standing still as the other students swarmed around him, finding their ways to the gymnasium.

"I'm really thirsty." He tried.

"Nice try Kovac; in the gym…now."

"But I'm-"

"No buts, just walking!"

Aimee could see her English teacher talking to Joey and made an attempt to walk faster, but there were too many students in the crowded hallway. He looked back, amongst the crowd, as Mr. Innes escorted him to the gym, and caught a glimpse of Aimee; she smiled and followed him into the bleachers.

"I've missed you." He whispered in her ear as they took their seats. Aimee blushed and began to reply when she caught Ms. Allen's eye; talking during mass would lead to detention, and so, Aimee's mouth remained closed.

Their hands found each other's in anticipation of the Our Father.

"Pater noster, qui es in caelis," they began.

"Come to dinner." Joey whispered.

"What?"

"Sanctificetur nomen tuum."

"I can't, you're parents, my dad." She continued to whisper.

"Adveniat regnum tuum."

"We can eat at my aunt and uncle's house." Joey tried

"Fiat voluntas tua,"

"I don't know…"

"Sicut in caelo et in terra."

"When are you off?"

"Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie."

"Monday, I think."

"Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,"

"It'll be nice…"

"Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris."

"Joey, let me think."

"Et ne nos inducas in tentationem:"

"Ok"

"Sed libera nos a malo."

"Ok"

"Amen."

Neela walked over to Ray and handed him a cup of coffee. "Thanks me lady." He joked.

"You see Joey this morning?" Neela asked casually, balancing some charts in her arms.

"He came by for a bit. You were still asleep."  
"Oh, how's he?"

"Good, actually, he has invited himself over to dinner."  
"Really?" Neela laughed.

"Wants to invite a friend." Ray added, catching a folder that was about to fall from Neela's arms.

"So I'm cooking for six now?" The beeper went off, "I'm being called up to surgery."

"Neela-"

"Yeh, Ray?" she said, walking over to the elevator doors and pushing the button.

"Love you."  
"Love you too." She smiled, and faced the opening elevator doors.

To Luka, his and Abby's plans had been a success. No more Aimee, no more Carter. Everything was back to normal, or so he thought. A knock came to his office door. "Com in." he said, looking at his clock wishing he could take a break for lunch; his stomach growled.

"Hey lazy head haven't seen you all morning."

Luka smiled at the sound of Abby's voice and looked up to see her entering his office.

"On break?" she asked.

"Now I am." He said, sitting up in his chair as she placed a warm plastic container in front of him.

"What's this?"

"Lunch." Abby said simply, grabbing plastic cutlery from her lab coat. "Compliments of the cafeteria." She grinned.

"C'mere you." He smiled, Abby walking to his side.

"Dr. Kovac!" a med student burst through his door, "Oh, and Dr. Lockha-"

"Justin?" he said impatiently.

"We need you in the ER….uh…..stat!" and right on cue, Abby's beeper went off.

Practice was cancelled and Joey relished in his new two-hour window of freedom. Catching the El to Lakeshore Avenue, he made his way towards Barnes and Noble with a little something in his pocket. The bell jingled as he walked through the massive wooden doors and into the three-story bookstore. Walking up the stairs to the fiction section, he immediately spotted Aimee helping a customer. So, he waited. Joey walked aimlessly through the aisles and aisles of books and easily spotted two shelves full of Stephen King; he began to read the backs of all the titles.

After finishing up with her customer, Aimee grabbed a pile of misplaced books and began to restock the shelves. The first book, _The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon_ by Stephen King, she noted to buy with her first paycheck. Rounding the corner to the "K" section, she failed to spot Joey standing at the end of the aisle. "Excuse me." She said, shyly, not looking up from her pile. Joey waited for her to look up, and when she did, a smile slowly formed from the corner of her mouth. "Joey." She said breathlessly.

"Aimee." He replied, pulling a bag of M&Ms out of his coat pocket; her favorite candy.

"Uh, I'm working."

"I see that."

"I'm off at six."

"I have to be home at five thirty."

Awkward silence of indecision filled between them, Aimee spoke, "Joey, you can't be here." She said, putting up a couple of books.

Aimee looked at her next book, something by Willa Cather, and headed that way. Joey followed.

"Give me a sec." He began.

She stopped, looked around for management, and then turned to face him. "Ok, pretend I'm looking for a book for you and follow me."

"Ok." And so they began follow the leader.

"About dinner," Joey continued, "Monday-"

"I don't think it's such a-"

"But I never see you."

"My father, I…" she couldn't think of a good enough reason. They now headed towards Tom Clancy.

"Aimee, it'll be the two of us having dinner…"

"With your extended family."  
"Sophie liked you." He joked.

"Not funny."

"Ok, ok, but will you still keep thinking about it?"

"How about this." She said, stopping in front of George Orwell. "You read a book, then I'll come to dinner."  
"By Monday?"

"Yes." She blindly felt for a book behind her.

"But-"

"Here, _1984_ by Orwell. I read it last year, good read."

Joey took the book from her hands and examined it. "It's pretty thick."

"Not really." She shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave.  
"Wait!"

"What?" she whipped her head around, he pony tail landing perfectly on her shoulder. Joey smiled.

"Here, you never…" he trailed off, handing her the bag of M&Ms. She took it slowly, relishing in the touch of his gentle hands, then stuffed them into her jeans.

"Thank you." Aimee said politely, slightly blushing.

Joey watched her as she reluctantly looked at the next book in her pile. "Go!" she joked, blushing at Joey's boyish grin.

He watched her disappear behind the shelves and then walked down to the main level. Joey bought the book, denied a bag, and put it into his backpack. Looking at his watch, he ran to the El platform catching the five o'clock train.

Abby noticed her son not in his practice uniform; Luka noticed too as Joey shut the door behind him.

"Where've ya been Joe?"

"Dad, it's five twenty-five." Joey sighed, giving his mom a head nod, and walked into the kitchen.

"Why aren't you in your practice clothes?" Luka questioned further.

"Why do you care!" Joey snapped.

"Joey…" Abby said, sad that she saw her son talking back to Luka. She turned to Luka, clearly seeing that he was hurt, "He didn't mean it Luk-"

"Josep Eric-" he began, his voice rising, his face tightening.

"Practice was cancelled! I needed a book for class so I went out and bought one!" Joey said, courageously raising his voice above his father's.

"Let me see the book." Luka questioned, about to stand at his son's sudden disrespect. Abby kept her hand on Luka's shoulder so that he wouldn't stand.

"You don't believe me do you?" Joey gasped in sarcastic disbelief. He bent down and found the book in his bag. He then took the crumpled receipt from his pocket and without saying a word, dropped both onto his father's lap. Joey turned around and sulked to his room.


	21. Into the Night

Carter thought Aimee was at an English study group. Joey waited for her outside, rubbing his hands together to get warm. Sophie joined him out on the porch. "She coming?" Sophie signed, a smug look on her face.

"Yes." Joey said confidently; he didn't read all of _1984_ for nothing.

"She nice?"

"You've met her before…remember…the library?"

Sophie laughed and gave Joey a warm smile. "It's cold." She signed and went back inside.

Aimee walked along a quiet Chicago street looking for the number 4131 on Sycamore Lane. She held the piece of paper in her hand that Joey had slipped into her locker. "Aimee!" she heard her name being called from her left and whipped her head around in that direction. She watched Joey come down a pair of porch steps. Both smiling, meeting each other in the middle of the road, they shared a brief kiss before heading inside.

Twenty minutes later Andrew knocked on the master bedroom, which was closed. "Well?" Carter asked, seemingly to be preoccupied with other business.

"She's at 4131 Sycamore Lane, residents of Drs. Neela and Raymond Barnett, Sophie Barnett, and My-"

"Is Abby's son there?"

"Yes sir. I saw them walk in together."

"Ok…thanks," Carter sighed, "I'll deal with it when she comes home."

"Yes sir."

"A goat!" Myles shouted, trying to get Aimee to agree with him. Sophie was at the standing dry erase board, attempting to draw a picture of a mountain lion; Pictionary was on the table.

"I'm supposed to be guessing!" Joey laughed, his face turning red.

"Then guess." Sophie signed, frustrated that she was losing, and placing the dry erase marker firmly on the table.

"Umm...a deer?" Joey tried. Aimee and Myles laughed and as he threw his arms up in defeat as the timer went off.

Ray and Neela could hear them laughing in the kitchen. Neela handed Ray a wet plate to dry. "Sounds like they're having fun." Neela commented.

"Yeh," Ray said, pausing for a moment, "Aimee is nice."

"She is. Joey seems to like her a lot."

"You think a little too much?"

"Not quite following you." Neela said, handing him another plate. He took it willingly, drying it carefully, then stacking it with the rest.

"Ok, Joey's what? Seventeen? And Aimee is sixteen….they're too young and-"

"To young for what Ray?" Neela smirked.

"They just seem to be too serious, that's all."  
"Is that a problem?"

"No, no-"

"Just because you were an immature emo punk kid back in the day…." Neela threw a towel at him playfully.

"Hey!" he laughed, pulling Neela towards him and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Am I immature now?" he whispered.

Neela shook her head and kissed him. "Besides, I think what Joey and Aimee have is great."

"Me too." They both smiled, Eskimo kisses passing between them, in each other's arms.

"Let me walk you home." Joey offered as Aimee and he stood outside, watching their breath in the cold night air.

"No, I'm good."

"It' late and cold and-"

"Joey, I'll be fine." Aimee laughed slightly.

"It's Chicago at night." Joey said, not laughing. Aimee regarded this and took Joey up on his offer.

"Fine." He could be so cute when he was serious.

The light was on in Aimee's house as they rounded the corner. She stopped three houses away.

"Thank you for the walk home."

"Oh, no prob-" and without any warning, Aimee stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around Joey's neck, and kissed him deeply. They separated, only for a second, and then Joey returned the favor, forceful at first, then softening, feeling something that he had never felt before. His hands found her waist, gently feeling her skin beneath her forest green sweater; her hands were everywhere and then she-

"Aimee!"

They both jumped at the sound of Carter's voice. They were gasping for air, their eyes, never breaking their gaze. "I have to go." Aimee whispered, holding desperately onto Joey's collar. She began to walk backwards, not wanting to lift her eyes from his intoxicating stare. Joey watched in the darkness as Aimee followed her father reluctantly into the house.

Luka was snoring on the couch when Joey came home. Abby emerged from the study and checked her watch. "Have a good time?" she asked innocently?  
"Yep." Joey answered, heading to his room and trying to decided whether or not he wanted to ask his mom about what he felt when he had Aimee in his arms.

"Hey Joey."

"Yes?" he turned, trying to be mad at his mother for what she was putting him through; but it seemed impossible in her presence.

Abby gave him a week smile. "You know…." She trailed off at first, "your father and I, we love you."

"I know." Joey smiled and walked into his room.

Aimee sat sullenly in her room at her desk. Her father stood in the doorframe.

"I bring you to America-"

"Against my will."

"Enroll you in a highly acclaimed school of excellence-"

"Also against my will."

"And you repay me by going behind my back to be with some boy."

"You know he's more than _some_ boy."

"Aimee-" he warned.

"No! I'm not the one in love with someone who doesn't even…"

Carter sensed they weren't talking about Joey anymore. "What?"  
"I know about Abby and…"  
"Let's not." He said, furrowing his eyebrows.

"She doesn't love you." Aimee finally said, trying to cause her father pain. She didn't know why, but she wanted him to suffer; but for what?  
"You don't even know-"

"Then tell me! Tell me why all the secrets. Why you won't let me see Joey! Why you're so involved with some woman named-"

"Don't say her name!" his voice wavered; Aimee saw this and sat back down in her chair for she had stood up during the argument.

"Fine then."

He turned to leave then stopped. "You and Joey, it's over." Carter said, concluding their conversation.

Aimee just rolled her eyes as she saw her father shut her door. If it weren't for Joey, Aimee thought, she'd lose herself in all this mess. But unlike her mother, she wasn't going to kill herself over it all. Her mother; how long ago had it been since she talked to her? Aimee couldn't remember and climbed into bed, clothes still on.

Andrew found his boss and close friend half asleep in the library. Sitting down across from Carter, he took off his cap and slowly removed a picture of Abby from Carter's hands. "Sir."

"Please, just John for now Andrew." Carter said, his head hanging low, sleeves rolled up in defeat.

"I'm not sure if this is my place to say but…" he paused before he continued, trying to choose his words carefully, "but you need to stop doing this to yourself….to Aimee." Silence engulfed the room and Andrew turned his head towards the crackling fire.

"You know," Carter laughed pathetically to himself, lifting his eyes slowly to meet Andrew's gaze towards the fire. "I still lover her." He said. Andrew tore his eyes away from the fire to look at the man sitting before him. "I don't think I ever stopped..." Carter whispered more to himself, losing himself in the amber glow.  
"I know John, I know, but you-"

"…and to see her with Luka…" he continued towards the fire, "it makes me so unlike myself and I began to hate myself. I hate me, I hate what I've done, to you, to Aimee, to Kem, to-"

"John, I think we-"

Carter's head suddenly snapped up, full of newfound energy. "I have to see her again."

"No." Andrew said plainly.

"Andrew, just once more. To apologize, I don't want-"

"Sir." Andrew stood up, "I think it's time to retire. You have a nine am board meeting tomorrow."  
"I don't want her to hate me." Carter finished, reclaiming the picture that was taken from his hands. "I don't want her to hate me." He whispered, again and again to himself


	22. Ring Ring on the Avenue

_I would like to thank Tracy for helping me in concluding this chapter because I have been suffering a bit of writer's block recently._

Christmas Eve.

Luka woke up with the sun creeping through the blinds in the window. Abby could feel him staring at her, his arm wrapped protectively around her. She smiled to herself and slowly rolled over to see him, her eyes blinking in the sunlight. "Good morning" he said gently, his accent still thick from sleep. He ran the back of his hand up and down her arm softly. He loved the feel of her skin against his own.

Abby scooted closer to him and gave him a quick soft kiss, "Good morning to you too."

He smiled, wrapping his arms all around her now, "I want to stay like this forever." He said.

"Me too… but we have a couple of more people to shop for."

He sighed deeply and playfully rolled his eyes. Abby laughed and threw back the covers that were keeping them warm. She crossed the room and opened the blinds all the way to the city morning. "It snowed." She commented, not tearing her eyes away from the blanket of white that had the city in its mercy.

"Beautiful." Luka said, looking at Abby, now standing behind her. He placed his hands on her bare shoulders.

"I know it is." She smiled gently, turning around in his arms.

"No, you."

Aimee pulled a pillow on top of her head to block the sunlight and tried to ignore the intoxicating aroma of what she thought was her father's coffee. Glancing sideways at her nightstand, she sighed heavily at reading nine am. Pulling on a robe, and slipping into a pair of worn out boots, she made her way down tot he kitchen.

Andrew sat alone, sipping on a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper. He smiled faintly at the sight of Aimee. "Good morning miss Aimee."

"Good morning Andrew." She said politely through a suppressed yawn. After fixing herself some scrambled eggs and toast, she sat down next to him.

"Your father, he'll be out for the day." Aimee didn't respond and took a sip of her orange juice. "I am at your service today…I can take you down to Michigan Ave. if you'd like."

Aimee's face lit up at the suggestion, "I'd like that."

"Then miss Aimee, there isn't a moment to lose!" he said playfully. They both laughed.

Aimee quickly finished her breakfast and dumped her plate, silverware, and mug into the sink. She ran upstairs and emailed Joey, praying that he wasn't already out for the day.

Joey could smell breakfast cooking only a couple of yards from his door. He climbed out of bed and threw on a sweatshirt from his hamper. He looked out the window to see what kind of day it was going to be. "Cool." He said to himself looking at the snow. Maybe he would swing by his aunt and uncle's house and take his cousin's sledding…yes that would be fun. Joey sat down at his laptop on his desk, which he did every Saturday morning, to check his mail. He clicked on the one from Aimee, ignoring the ones from his school and an invitation from Michael to hang out this afternoon: _Joey…I'll be on Michigan Ave. for the majority of the day. If you can, I'll see you there; if not, I understand. _Call me either way, ok? Happy Christmas Eve! Aimee

Abby opened his bedroom door and he quickly exited out of his program. "Breakfast is ready if you're hungry."

"Oh, uh, thanks" he stammered.

Abby leaned in the doorframe, surveying the room. "It's a mess in here." She paused, "Anyways, we're all going down to Michigan Ave. to finish up some shopping."  
"Who's included in 'we're all'?" Joey asked, standing up from the computer and following his mom to the kitchen. Luka winked at Abby making her blush.

""Uh, Ray and Neela are coming by with the van, then we'll head out from there." Abby finished, sitting down across from Luka.

"Good morning Joe."

Joey nodded in his father's direction.

Joey, Sophie, and Myles were cramped up in the back seat as Ray tried to parallel park for the third time. Abby and Neela chatted away about work and gossip and Luka was almost snoring in the front seat next to Ray. Myles asked Joey is he could look at his cell phone. Joey obliged, digging deep within his coat pocket to retrieve it. Ray was now in his fourth try to park the van. Joey's phone rang and Myles passed it back to him. "Who is it?" Sophie signed.

"Oh, it's just Aimee." Myles replied to his sister, loud enough for Abby to hear.


	23. The Plot Thickens

"Abby?" Neela questioned as her best friend froze in the middle of her sentence. Joey closed his eyes, praying that he could disappear. Abby glanced slowly in Luka's direction, and then shifted in her seat to look back at her son. She blinked once. "I won't lie for you," was all she said. Joey nodded his head his head in both agreement and in shame. Neela gave Abby a questioning look. "Later." Abby whispered.

"We're here!" Ray joyfully announced. He nudged Luka who then grunted something in Croatian, Abby and Neela slid out the back of the van, and Myles, Joey, and Sophie followed.

Carter left his board meeting in rare high spirits and decided to call Andrew to see if he could take Aimee to Michigan Avenue for some shopping. Andrew jumped as his cell phone rang in his pocket. He watched Aimee enter Ben and Jerry's and excused himself from the table. "John? No, we're already here…yes, she's happy…good, good, I'll have the car ready in a couple of hours then…ok…yes…you too Dr. Carter." Andrew returned to the table and picked up his cigarette that lay in the ashtray. "I don't know, maybe next year."

"That's what you said two years ago Andi, I'm getting restless. You're the only inside I've got."

"He just lost his wife," Andrew said, a bit nervously this time, "and there are other factors to consider now."  
"Like?" Niko ventured, his jaw clenching. His patience was wearing thin with Andrew and greatly wished that he could use the gun he felt on his belt for persuasion. He raised an eyebrow to Andrew.

"We're not in Paris for one and-"

"You said you knew this place like the back of your hand."

"True…very true…"Andrew stammered, "It's just before, the girl would still have her father, but now-"

"The plan was to take the daughter and the wife, but now you're saying there is no wife…hmmm…what about this Abby that you mentioned?"

Andrew felt quite uneasy, "But Aimee-"

"Damn it Andrew! I want the money and I want it now!" Niko bellowed, rising a little from his chair; he had attracted a few stares. Niko sat back down, quickly and calmly, and flashed a quick smile at Andrew.

Andrew relaxed, but only slightly, "If I help you," he began, "I want something in return."

"Now we're talking business…" Niko gleamed, pushing aside the ashtray that lay between them. He leaned in closer to Andrew, continuing their conversation in a whisper.

"Did I say something to upset your mom?" Myles asked Joey as the trio browsed through a music shop. Joey was reluctant to answer, but he could see that Sophie was eager to know, and so, he gave in.

"Well, my mom and dad, wow, this sounds so cliché, they've forbidden me to see Aimee."  
"Since when?" Sophie signed.

"I dunno, about a month ago."

Myles sighed, "I'm sorry, if I'd known-"

"Don't worry about it." Joey finished, placing his hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"So then you're like having a secret love affair or something to that effect?" Sophie signed excitedly.

"Joey!"

All three jumped at the sound of Aimee's voice. Sophie stared at her coolly and Myles nodded his head in her direction, blushing slightly.

"Aimee." Joey said softly, smiling.

Neela, Ray, Abby, and Luka sad in Starbucks, laughing and sipping on a mixture of teas and coffees with brownies and cookies shared between them. "So…so…" Abby laughed, "the nun and the milk man?"

"Yes!" Neela laughed harder with Ray and Luka joining in. All took a deep breath.

"Any big Christmas plans this year?" Luka asked Neela and Ray as he took a hold of Abby's hand underneath the table.

"Oh," Neela began, "we're going over to Ray's folks and the twins are performing at the Scottish Rite Cathedral tonight."

"Wow, the SRC, that's wonderful." Abby exclaimed.

Ray nodded in agreement, "You two should come. It would mean a lot to them if Joey came along too; they look up to him and all."

Luka nodded his head in agreement. "Ah!" Abby squealed as Luka's fingers graced her inner thigh.

"What?" Neela said, almost chocking on a piece of cookie, a little frightened.

"God Luka…" Abby said, blushing, hitting Luka on the shoulder playfully. "We'll be there." Abby said, smiling at Neela after breaking her blissful stare with Luka.

"Good." Neela quipped. "Shall we finish this whole shopping affair then?"

All walked into the snow Chicago streets in good spirits.

Myles made Sophie stay in the music shop as Aimee and Joey started up a conversation about the surprise snow of the morning, She waived to Andrew happily as they passed his table, unbeknownst to Joey, and proceeded into an antique shop. Joey stopped and sat down on a bench that was for sale and pulled Aimee down next to him. His face fell.

"A penny for your thoughts?" she asked, looking at his downcast eyes.

"I don't like what we're doing, " he began. "You, me, us, it's tearing my family apart. I mean, we shouldn't have to hide like this all because of something our parents were involved in before…"

"Before we were even thought of." Aimee finished.

"I just want to know what happened between your father and my mom, because I…" he trailed off, lifting his head so his eyes could meet Aimee's, His thought's scared him/

"Quoi?"

Joey took her hand into his, "because I think I love you Aimee and it hurts to know that my mom and dad couldn't bear to know how I feel about you."

Joey suddenly felt sick, that he'd said too much and that Aimee would begin to distance herself at his confession. "That's funny." She laughed nervously, "because I think I'm in love with you too," she said, her face never breaking into a smile. The thought scared them both half to death. "C'mon." Aimee said, breaking the silence. Joey looked up at her quizzically and followed. They emerged outside, a second snow beginning to fall, and walked behind the brick building. Aimee began to climb the fire escape to the third floor.

"Where are we going? What are we doing?" Joey questioned but still followed.

"You'll see," she smiled back at him.

Joey stopped as they neared the third floor. It was abandoned, tattered blue drapes flowing with the wind. Aimee took his hand and pulled him through the window and onto the landing. She removed her jacket, gloves, and hat and proceeded to kick off her boots as well.

"You'll freeze!' Joey laughed, "What are you doing?"

Silently, she walked up to him and slowly too off his hat and gloves. "Aimee?" he watched her unzip his jacket, watched her quivering lip as she pulled it off of him. A lump formed in his throat as she stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck, "Then keep me warm," she whispered into his ear.

"I don't think we…" he stammered, at a loss of words as she began to kiss him softly. Joey's knees went week as they both effortlessly fell onto the hard word floor.


	24. A Bend in the Road

The weather was unusually warm. Cold rain pelted against the frosted windows as Abby and Luka took down the dying Christmas tree. Luka paused as his hand went for the ornament Abby had made during her corrupted childhood. That smile, that face, the look in her eye, it captivated him.

Abby stood on her toes to reach a golden bulb that hang from a limb. She winced slightly as the needles scraped against her arm; the bulb fell into a box beside her. Her hand rested on her hips as she and Luka stared at the bare tree, together. He beckoned her to him and let his arm slide to the small of her back. He smiled slightly and so did she and together the tree made its way to the sloshed steps of outside.

Carter retreated to his study, mug in hand, to finish up some paper work for the New Year. He had yet to see Andrew but thought nothing of it. He would spend the remainder of the day in his study; the paper work, the phone calls, anything to rid him of Abby, for there was nothing else he wanted more. But he would stay in the study, yes, the study; there was no Abby there.

The guilt began to build in his chest like a ball of fire ready to consume him. He held tight to Aimee's hand, still in disbelief of what happened only a week ago. This morning he had lied point blank to his mother and father; he was going to go see a movie with Sophie and Myles then maybe later to the park. No, he was with Aimee, the forbidden anomaly in his parents' happy equation. She had wanted to go bowling or ice-skating or to Barnes and Noble, anything to get away from her brooding father and so they walked hand in hand, in the drizzle beneath the gray sky.

Ray and Neela, legs still entangled beneath the cotton sheets, lay silently, listening to the soft rain. It was already afternoon and they had yet to make it out of bed. Ray could hear his daughter practicing the violin in her room and Neela could tell that Myles was in the kitchen pouring over a book. It was mornings like these (that led to afternoons) that they relished. The distant sound of each other's heartbeat kept them sane. They phone rang, and by the third ring of neither child answering, Neela shifted and answered.

It was Abby, inquiring about Joey. Neela lied, hung up the phone and turned to Ray. He pulled on his red flannel bottoms and donned a shirt. He paused, sitting at the foot of the bed and looked back at Neela. "What should I do?" he asked her, more to himself really. She gave him a look, an empty look and he sighed.

Andrew paced nervously in front of the Sears Tower, his meeting place with Niko. Sweat embedded itself upon his forehead, believing the rain to be perspiration he now felt. He didn't want it, didn't want the Carter family money; it was Niko, Niko was the desperate one. Maybe at first, yes, Andrew did want the money, the glory, the riches, but now, it all seemed so silly, so silly to what his friend John and his daughter Aimee were going through. No, he didn't want the money, he just wanted to see his old friend and confidant to get through the New Year. But Niko was the pressure, and what Niko wanted, Niko got.

Abby sat silently, her back to Luka, reading her latest novel, Luka taped the last box shut of ornaments and decorations and let the tape gun sit stationary on the floor as he looked up at her; he hadn't heard a page turn in the last couple of minutes, "What's wrong?" he whispered. She spun her head around and gave him a warm smile, an inviting smile, and he joined her on the sofa.

"Just thinking," she replied, no defenses, the honest truth.

"About…" he trailed off, layering on his accent for her, a slight laugh in his voice. He was happy, he was with _her_.

"Stuff, Joey, you, me,"

"Worrying?" he questioned. He leaned in slightly, there lips brushing.

"A little," she replied, the smile gone. "I think Joey is still seeing Aimee."

Luka retreated a little, tension building up inside, but not much. "I don't think," he began, "I don't think there is anything more we can do about it," he sighed deeply. "As long as Carter doesn't-"

"But he's Aimee's father, he does-"

"Abby," he let his finger trace the curve of her jaw, trailing down to a few loose strands of her brown hair, "I will let nothing bad happen to this family; there will be no more Carter."

The phone rang.

He had told Myles about his plans with Aimee, but knowing Myles and knowing Sophie, he knew his aunt and uncle were aware by now.

Joey watched her, mesmerized by her simple beauty. She skated over to him, grinning beneath the fluorescent mall lights. "You see, I can do a double!" Aimee beamed with delight. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and began to skate backwards, teasing him to follow her.

"Well…watch this!" he joked, skating to the center of the rink. Aimee crossed her arms playfully.

Joey angled his body, trying to look like an Olympic speed skater; he then began to skate around, as if he were about to do a grand jump into the air like an axle or a luxe. Aimee brought her hands to her face, as Joey's pick dug into the ice, lifting him into the air; this was embarrassing. He landed quite ungracefully on his bum, laughing as he could hear Aimee squeal with amusement. And then, like slow motion, Joey looked up at Aimee to give her a wink as two men dressed in black raced up behind her, no skates on. Before he could utter a single cry of warning, she was pushed to the ice violently and scooped up. The next instant, Joey blacked out.

Abby let Luka kiss her as the phone rang for the second time, but on the third ring she pulled back wanting him to answer the phone. Luka reached over her shoulder, his knee sinking into the sofa, and picked up the receiver. She tickled him, making him lose his balance before he could utter a single word. The phone dropped as Luka tickled her back, both of them grinning like schoolyard children. They could hear Neela's voice on the other end and so Luka relented from Abby and picked up the phone once more.

Abby could see Luka's goofy grin suddenly change into a concerned and hurt frown. She immediately sat up right and placed her hand on his shoulder, scooting closer to him.

"What do you mean he's not there?" "How does Myles-" "How did-" "Well why didn't-" he hung up the phone and faced her. "Where did Joe say he was going?"

"To the movies with…and the maybe to the…" Abby stopped and they both knew that Joey was out with Aimee somewhere, anywhere, not with Myles, and not with Sophie.

Luka stood, grabbing his jacket, his feet still bare, and heading towards the door. She stood up and followed. "This morning, you said you were ok." She tried, afraid of the wrath he was about to inflict on her only son, their son.

"Not like this, I don't want him lying to us, not this way…I need to find him, I'm going to go look for him."

"But Luka-"

"What?!" he yelled. She stopped her momentum towards him and he sighed, realizing his anger was not for her. He looked into her eyes and said he was sorry. She nodded her head and pointed towards his shoes. He obeyed and slipped them on, gave her one last kiss, then, he was gone. Paying no heed to the two men ducking behind a white van, Luka got into his Lexus and drove off in pursuit of his son.

Abby laughed to herself as she heard the soft knock at the door, knowing Luka had forgotten the keys in his rush to the car, but he had had a spare in his pocket. She picked them up, letting them dangle in her hands. She unlocked the deadbolt, revealing two men, a gun pointed at her face.


	25. The Rabbit Hole Continues

Joey, now confused beyond measure, blinked slowly as he could hear an old man snapping fingers in front of his eyes. He could hear muffled voices of "move over" and "I've got the ice" or "what happened?" Joey closed his eyes again and let his other senses take over, letting them tell him what the heck was going on. His back was stiff, he could tell, that he was lying on a hard, cold, wooden bench. The faded brown skates that once enclosed his feet were now taken off and all he could feel was the distant wind against his damp socks. Only one hand had his glove over it, the other, he wouldn't get back for another week. "Want us to call the ambulance?" another elderly gentlemen asked. Out of instinct Joey said, "No." He opened his eyes again, slowly this time, not blurry as before, and sat up slowly.

"You had a nasty fall young man."

"Where's Aimee!" Joey yelled, the reality instantly coming back to him. He stood quickly, but the dizziness overtook him and for the moment, he sat back down.

"Who dear?"

"Aimee!" he yelled again, turning his head and body, his eyes searching everywhere for men dressed in black. He didn't understand. Joey stood again, stronger and less dizzy this time, and began to run.

"Your shoes!" someone shouted behind him. He ran back, laced up his Sambas, and raced to the…

Luka had been gone for an hour. He had driven the school, the bookstore, and even did a quick jog around the mall before heading to the park; but still no Joey and still no Aimee. After much contemplation and loathing, he drove towards the infamous Carter mansion. And even after more deliberation, Luka swallowed his pride and got out of his car, walking up the steps, and willed himself to ring the doorbell.

Carter sat on the edge of his seat waiting for Aimee to return. The late afternoon crept by and he was getting nervous; Andrew had not been home all day, nor had his daughter, but she had had the decency to leave him a note.

The doorbell rang.

Carter leaped from the armchair, and slid, in his socks, on the waxed mahogany floors, in anticipation of his Aimee's homecoming. But instead, he found Luka.

The two men digested each other's presence for a moment or two; both sensing to put their history aside and that Luka's arrival had a deeper meaning. "Aimee's not home either." Carter began, "Let me get my coat and shoes…come in if you'd like."

Luka obliged and stood in the vast foyer surveying the scene before him. Carter emerged once again in the foyer, now gloves in hand. "I'll drive, you look tired." Again, Luka with no words followed Carter to the Jeep. "She's been bugging me about going ice skating lately, maybe they're at the rink over in King Park." Carter ventured, driving along, brights on. Luka grunted, "Fine."

Abby stood paralyzed, dropping the keys onto the floor. The sound made the man on the right flinch a little. Her mind raced, thinking of all the ways to get herself out of the dire situation, but instead, she stood paralyzed. A teenage girl was pushed towards her suddenly; her eyes blindfolded with a piece of black satin. Abby caught her instinctively; wrapping her arms around her, and held her tight. The girl began to cry.

The man with the gun pointed at her took a step forward; Abby took a step back and the girl moved with Abby. "Sit down!" Niko yelled at Abby, his saliva traveling with his words, she winced and walked backwards to the sofa.

"You know…" Abby's voice wavered, her eyes darting, a tear trying to escape, "I don't understand why you are-"

"Shut up!" Andrew cut her off. He grabbed her upper arm and led her into the bathroom; Aimee held onto to Abby's hand tightly, never wanting to let go, not knowing whose hand she held onto.

Aimee had woken up in the back of a white van, rolling around on the back seat. The moment she opened her eyes, a strange man had muffled her screams with his hand and had tied a blindfold around her eyes; she couldn't see a thing. She tried to kick and scream, but Niko had been stronger than her. When the van had stopped, she had recognized Andrew's distressed voice and had called out to him, pleading. But she had felt the arm tighten around her waist as she was forced up the stairs, the stairs that would lead her to Abby.

Niko placed the gun against Abby's left temple as he undid Aimee's blindfold with his other hand. Aimee jerked her head in her partner's direction and immediately recognized Abby for who she was. But Aimee didn't care, Aimee held onto her as if it were the last thing she'd ever do; this was Joey's mother, she would protect her, but for some reason, Aimee still hated her.

"Now listen," Niko began, gun now relaxed in his hand, "Until Dr. John Truman Carter the third, comes up with the 10 million that we have so humbly asked for, you two will remain here." He shifted his eyes towards Aimee, "And if dear old daddy goes to the police or refuses to cough up the money, consider this your last day on this blessed earth."

Luka got back into the car. "The man at the desk said he saw them about thirty minutes ago." He slammed the door shut.

"Anything else?" Carter asked annoyed that they had only missed them by a half hour.

Luka sighed and brought his hand up to his head as if he had a headache, "Yes," he sighed heavily, "he also said that Aimee had left quite quickly with two men in all dressed in black and that Joey had blacked out on the ice but then ran away when he regained consciousness."

Carter looked at the man sitting next to him in disbelief. To him, it was if Luka was reading a passage out of some adventure novel; but he wasn't, and Carter watched Luka begin to slip into a state of emotional anxiety.

Niko shut the door behind him, first making sure there were no windows, sharp objects, or means of escape. "Look what you did!" Aimee screamed at Abby, crossing the narrow space and sitting down in the empty porcelain bathtub. "If you and my dad had never-"

"What happened between you and your father is none of your business!" Abby yelled back defensively, trying to scare Aimee just enough to calm her down; it worked. She continued, "This situation that we are in right now," she pointed towards the door as she closed the distance between Aimee and she, "is none of our faults. Those men out there, are going through a psychotic moment and we need to figure out a plan or wait it out."

"No!" Aimee yelled back, still crouched in the tub, Abby now squatting and inches away from her face, "at least not until you tell me what the hell is going on between you and my father and you two's insistence on keeping me and Joey apart."

Abby sighed, "Just as stubborn as your father." She stood up and put down the toilet seat Luka had left up and sat down. She looked at the young woman in her bathtub and tried to remember what sixteen felt like.

Joey hung up the pay phone in disgust; the police didn't believe his story about Aimee being mysteriously kidnapped and they had shrugged him off as a prank call, threatening to fine him. He dug his hands into his coat pocket and took the El to her neighborhood thinking that certainly her father would believe him. No one was home. Sitting on her front porch, he pulled out his cell phone and frantically called home.

Abby stopped her narration of Carter and her's night in exam one during the smallpox scare at the sound of Joey's voice being picked up on the answering machine. "Mom? Dad?" he said quickly. "I don't know what is going on and the police won't believe me but Aimee's been kidnapped. I know it sounds silly, or stupid, or whatever, but these two men came and took her from the ice rink and then I passed out and now my head hurts, but…Mom! Dad! Pick up, please, pick up. I already called the hospital so I know you are not at work and if you two are screwing each other in the bedroom then-" the tape ended.

Abby closed her eyes and wanted to restrain her tears, hearing her son's distressed and scared voice. She prayed that he would stay where he was and not try to come home. Aimee's mouth was open in shock; never had she heard Joey like that. Abby's mind wandered to Luka and hoped that he would know something was gravely wrong. Aimee snapped back to reality and reached out and touched Abby's shoulder. "He'll be ok." Without looking, Abby found her hand and held tightly. Aimee raised an eyebrow, "So, you and my dad in a hospital room?"

The police station was only a couple of blocks away, and so Carter drove in that direction. Their silence was awkward and tense, and Luka wished for some sort of polite conversation, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He sighed heavily as Carter came upon stopped traffic. This was going to be awhile. His thoughts went to Abby and he smiled, knowing how worried she would be about his anger towards their son. He hoped she would put something on the stove for both of them to eat or maybe slip into her pajamas so she could relax a little. "So, you think Joey might get a scholarship for his soccer?" Carter interrupted Luka's pleasant thoughts.

"Uh…" Luka stammered at first, "Yeh, that's the idea, and if not, it's ok. Just as long as he's happy." He gave a weak smile. "And Aimee?"

"Oh, well, she's thinking about going to University in France, but she's also started looking at Georgetown in DC."

By the time Niko and Andrew became restless, Abby had climbed into the tub with Aimee and let her rest her small head on her shoulder. Abby ran her hands through Aimee's hair, trying to slow her breathing for although Aimee tried to put on a brave and conversational face, Abby knew she was terrified beyond measure. "Ok, so after my dad's gamma died, you went to your brother instead of staying with dad?" Aimee questioned, sounding a little confused. Abby nodded her head yes and Aimee nodded back understanding Abby's choice. "I think my dad was wrong to be mad at you," she said, "So what happened next?"

Niko looked at Andrew in an expression of disbelief, getting ready to raise his voice, but didn't so that Abby and the girl wouldn't hear him. "You think you did what?"

"I don't think John has gotten the letter," Andrew stammered, "I mean, when it comes to the two in the bathroom, we would have had the money by now or the police knocking on the door."

"Where'd you leave it?"

"Kitchen counter." Andrew replied timidly with his head down.

"Does he frequent the kitchen often?"

Andrew lifted his head to answer.

"Ugh, never mind, you're useless, he'll find it eventually." Niko concluded more to himself than to the both of them.

Joey caught the El back to the hospital, thinking to plead his case to an officer staffed there. Besides, Frank loved conspiracy theories and he would definitely help him.

Before Luka and Carter reached the railed doors of the downtown police station, Carter stopped Luka by gently putting his hand on his arm. Luka looked at him quizzically. He took a step back and faced Carter, the two men now staring at each other. Carter looked down, "You know, I am sorry if I caused you and Abby any-"

"Don't say her name." Luka said curtly, but he gave Carter the signal to continue what he was going to say.

"Seventeen years ago, I came into your home and almost touched what was most sacred to you and for that I am sorry." He paused, afraid of what Luka might say next, but he saw that Luka was listening to every word that flowed through his lips. "And with Kem ending her own life, I tried to remember when I was last truly happy, and that was when I was with Ab…Dr. Lockhart, if you will." Luka nodded. "And so I came here, with my daughter, and she suggested that I reconnect with my old friends not at all knowing what torrent of emotions she began to unleash. And then thoughts consumed me of her and all I wanted was her to be mine again, not fully grasping or wanting to grasp really the reality that was you and her. And for that Luka, I want to let you know I am sorry."

Luka, a little shocked at the random confession of what seemed like great sorrow or remorse, regarded Carter in a new light; but it only lasted for a couple of minutes. Without a word more passing between them, Luka opened the door and followed Carter into the busy station.

"Abby?" Aimee questioned hesitantly, her head still on Joey's mother's shoulder, crouched in the bathtub.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to say this, but, my father," she started slowly, "I think he's still in love with you."

Abby sighed, "I know."

"And I know he went to Africa and met my mom and what not, but, I think, maybe you two can be friends?"

Abby shifted and Aimee lifted her head. "Aimee, there's too much history between me and your father. It wouldn't work."

"Ok."

"Ok."

And with that, Aimee let her head rest back on Abby's shoulder as Abby let a tear escape from her eye.

She wanted Luka and she wanted him now. Abby could hear faintly the disagreement going on between her two hostage takers, one of which she learned from Aimee to be Carter's friend-butler. "God Luka, where are you?" she whispered to herself, looking up at the ceiling. Silent tears now streamed down her face.

Officers Stevens, Yang, and Grey laughed at Luka and Carter's tales of kidnap and runaway. They had them fill out missing persons reports and promised to be in contact within the next twenty-four hours. After much yelling and verbal fighting, Carter had to restrain Luka from jumping the desk and walked his once foe and friend outside, back into the cold night air. "This is ridiculous!" Luka shouted at the night sky, his hands clutching the gloves he had yet to put back on.

"Do you want to head on home?"

"No!"

"Ok, ok." Carter responded defensively, not wanting the wrath of Luka thrust upon him.

"We need to keep looking, I don't want Abby to worry, there's been enough worry and doubt in this family to last a lifetime! I promised her I'd bring our son home and I'll do just that!"

Carter regarded him seriously, but shook his head in disagreement. "I think we should either go to your place or mine. If they ran away, don't you think they'll try to come back together? I know they're both mature enough to actually think that they couldn't get away with all this."

Luka considered this and nodded his head yes after much thought and only because he would be able to see Abby soon. The two men climbed back into the Jeep and turned on Knox Circle towards Luka's apartment and to Abby, and what awaited them there.


	26. Through the Window

_College is hard and life sometimes sucks;_

_Sorry it took me so long to write this fanfiction stuff :)_

_Ianni_

Abby nudged Aimee in the shoulder and pointed towards the small window above them. Immediately, Aimee shook her head 'no', knowing exactly what Abby had in mind. Abby gave her a fierce and questioning look and Aimee whispered, "I'm scared of heights". Abby shook her head in disagreement and mouthed to her that there was a fire escape above the window.

Aimee still shook her head no.

Abby ignored her and stood up, reaching towards the narrow windowsill. She unlocked the window. Next, she managed to pull her self up, resting on the rim, her feet dangling above Aimee's head. Aimee watched in disbelief. Abby scooted over and gave her another look of impatience. Aimee sighed heavily and stood up, balancing herself on the edge of the bathtub. She mimicked Abby's movements and moments later found herself somehow sitting on the ledge. Aimee looked up outside and found that Abby had been right; there was a fire escape.

"You go first." Abby whispered, "I'll hoist you up."

"No."

"Then do as I say." Abby replied, annoyed.

Aimee, now even more terrified than before, scooted backwards some more and began to follow Abby out the window.

Aimee's shoe hit the roof of Carter's Jeep as she struggled to get a hold of the second bar that would lead her to the landing. Luka got out of the car to inspect what had just fallen from the sky. He found Abby coaching some girl out of a window across two bars and onto a landing; it was as if he was watching that X-treme sports stuff he sometimes tuned into when Abby wasn't home.

"Aimee!?" Carter yelled up, finding Abby tugging at his daughter's shirt, helping her onto the landing and then began to climb down in the cold night. No words came from Luka.

"Get in the car!" Abby shouted as the neared the last set of steps. The men obeyed, and Carter started the car, Luka jumping back into the front seat.

Niko felt a cold breeze, as if a window was open, and decided to take a look around. "Niko?" Andrew questioned, stood up, and followed.

"Feel that breeze?"

Andrew nodded his head yes. The two passed the bathroom as another gust of wind came through; they stopped. Niko quickly threw the door open. "What in the…"

"What's going on?!" Luka finally spit out, a block away from his apartment. He was looking back at Aimee and Abby; Aimee was holding her shoulder.

"They wanted-" Aimee began, wincing as they went over a pot hole.

"Carter's money." Abby finished for her, still looking at Luka. It scared him, the sound of her voice, so calm, so…"There's two men in our apartment, armed."

Carter came to a stoplight, not fully grasping the situation at hand. Aimee saw this in his reflection in the rear view mirror.

"It was Andrew, Joey and I-"

"Joey?" Luka focused his direction towards Aimee, not letting go of Abby's hand, moving thumb back and forth.

Aimee glanced nervously in his direction, but then directed her attention back to her father. "I was out ice skating with Joey, and out of nowhere dressed in black was Andrew and another man with a French accent grabbed me and the next thing I knew…"

"They were holding us ransom Carter." Abby finished, still annoyed.

Luka looked puzzled, "But why us? Why you?" Luka asked of Abby.

Awkward silence filled the Jeep. Aimee spoke up first, cutting through the thick, enveloping silence as the light turned green. "Because my dad is still in love with her."

Carter blushed slightly at Aimee's comment as Luka pulled out his cell phone. For a moment he thought Luka was going to whack him with it, but sighed relief when he saw the man next to him dialing 9-1-1 and bringing the phone up to his ear. "Yeh," he answered, "There's two men in my apartment with guns and they won't leave." A few minutes later he hung up and saw he had a new voice mail. He let go of Abby's hand to dial his pass code. A minute more, he closed the phone and looked up at the one he loved the most. "I got a message from Frank, " he began to tell Abby, "our son is at County."

"Is he-" Abby started, frightened.

"No, no, no, shhh, he's fine." Luka reassured her, giving her a playful wink. Abby smiled, he wanted to see her smile.


	27. Unconscious Dreamer

How did they get here? Aimee had fallen asleep, head resting on Abby's shoulder, arm still holding the arm; Luka winced at the sight. Carter saw Aimee sleeping as well, her head comfortable on Abby's shoulder and he wished his daughter hadn't come so attached, but how couldn't you? After all, it was Abby. Luka kept his upper body turned towards the backseat, not wanting to let go of his wife's hand, hoping that somehow by this gesture, would make everything whole again. They were headed towards County and Luka couldn't wait for his family to be in his arms once more. He would relish in his son's existence, then deal with his disobedience, even though it was over a girl; Carter's girl, Aimee. He glanced in Aimee's direction, trying to see what his son saw in her and could only assume it was the same thing he had once saw in Danijela in his youth, and now in Abby in his maturity.

"Say what?" Frank said bewildered at Joey's story. The old man regarded Luka's son for a moment and detected no lie in his tale. "C'mon Frank, you're the only-" but before Joey could finish, Frank was already on the phone doing his cop routine. With grateful admiration, Joey slammed his hand down on the counter and spun around to see his uncle walking towards him. "Why aren't you at home?" Ray asked in a serious tone. Joey looked at him puzzled. "You're father is looking for you Joey, you should go home…and where's Aimee?" "Ok Joe, I've got Officer Yang on the line and she says there's already two teams dispatched to your house, what's going on?" Joey shrugged his shoulders in confusion and his face turned to worry. "Um, thanks Frank, for calling…" "Joe?" "Yeh Frank?" Joey said, Frank smiling a bit at the hint of Abby's tone in her son's voice. "I uh, think you should wait here." Ray raised an eyebrow.

Carter's Jeep went over another pothole; Aimee jolted awake. It was if a million fire ants had bitten in the space between her neck and shoulder. She cried out in pain. "My lower arm – I can't feel it," she said to Abby through tears. "It's dislocated." Abby said softly, "We're almost there." Carter was grateful for Abby, for her being with his daughter. He tried flashing Aimee a quick smile through the rear view mirror, but she never saw it; Aimee was looking towards Abby, in pain, as if her life depended on it. Then the pain was too much, and so, she dreamt.

_Abby stood up in the bathtub immediately awaking Aimee. "We need to get ourselves out." Abby had whispered quickly._

"_But they have guns!" Aimee whispered back, scared to death that Abby was going to get them killed._

"_We'll take them from them." Abby had said confidently. Aimee had shaken her head in a defiant 'no'._

_Abby knelt back down so she could be on the same level as her son's girlfriend. "Aimee, listen to me," she began forcefully, "think about it. It's been hours. And knowing your father if he had gotten Andrew's note, either the money or the police would be here which means something has gone wrong or something just isn't right." Aimee just stared at Abby; she was terrified. Yes Aimee had read Stephen King's tales of Roland the Gunslinger, but there was no way Aimee was potentially going to involve herself with anything having to do with guns. "Aimee." Aimee blinked. "You have to trust me. I'm going to get us out of here. I've had many encounters with guns, none that I am proud of, but none the less, it has happened. Once with your father present in the ER, another when I was scared and alone in the streets of Chicago, once more when two convicts shot up the ER, and again when my husband was kidnapped, when you were in your mother's womb, and when Joey's was just born. So Aimee, you have to trust me. And if you don't feel comfortable with all this, let me think some more."_

_Aimee had now looked at Abby with newfound admiration, but she was terrified. "We can do this." Abby pleaded with the scared teenager, a tear streaming silently down her cheek, "We have to do this."_

Ray left Joey in the lounge. Never before had his uncle chided him and never again did he wish for it to happen. Joey hoped Aimee was all right and was frustrated that Ray and Frank just wanted him to sit here in the lounge doing nothing. So like a true sullen teenager, he slumped back on the couched and pouted. But the disturbing thing was, he knew he was beyond this, better than this, more mature than this. But Joey let his emotions win this time, and so he stayed, waiting in the lounge.


	28. The Meaning of JACK

Joey had managed to make a pot of coffee at Sam's request and began filling the assorted mugs for the staff; he felt like a maid. He carried them out to Admin and received immediate "thank yous". He smiled briefly, and then turned to go back and sulk in the lounge.

Carter quickly scooped up Aimee, who was passed out, in his arms with a little help from Abby. He ran towards the ER triage, "Someone!" he yelled through the plated glass barrier. Neela and Ray looked up.

Abby followed, but Luka took hold of her hand. "Let him go," he said. She couldn't register the emotion in his voice but she knew he wanted her here, needed her here. After a couple of moments wait, the walked into the ER together.

"He's in there." Frank pointed to the lounge at the sight of Abby and Luka.

"Thank you Frank." Abby said giving the desk clerk a quick smile and following her husband into the lounge.

Joey stood at the sight of his parents and immediately tuned out his conversation with Dr. Morris. Morris took one look between Luka and Joey and took the cue to leave. "Good luck gremlin!" Morris called back half way through the door. Silence engulfed the lounge.

"I wan to get an x-ray before we put it back into place." Neela said looking at Aimee's labs.

"Morphine?" Sam asked, unsure what painkiller the Barnett's wanted to use on Carter's daughter. It seemed so weird to see him in that kind of distress.

"Sounds good." Ray said, adjusting the bed to an upright position.

"No painkillers!" Carter interjected, rising from the stool he was sitting upon.

"But Dr. Carter, she'll be-"

"No drugs," he repeated again, a little less riled than before.

Neela and Ray shared a nervous glance before x-ray came in. "All right." Neela said, flipping the chart closed and pulling on the lead cover.

When his eyes couldn't meet his father's any longer, he glanced towards his mother's, then down. "You lied to us." Abby began, unmoving from Luka's side. Joey remained silent.

"Joe, your mother is talking to you." Luka said with some force. But Joey did not detect anger in his father's voice, which gave him confidence to speak.

He now looked up at his mother, still weary of his father. His voice trembled a little, "I think I understand why you didn't want me to see her; it was because of her father and some past event or series of events that have made you all enemies…" he paused, nervous to continue, "but Aimee and me, we're not a part of that history and I don't this it is right for you three to put me and her in that position. And I know I probably betrayed your trust, but I saw no other way and so-"

"Carter is insisting on not putting Aimee on any painkillers." Neela interjected, popping her head into the lounge.

"She's here?!"

Luka sighed, annoyed. "Abby?" was all he had to say.

"Neela, I'll talk to him." Abby said with authority, following Neela out into the ER. She gave one last hopeful glance towards Luka.

"Dad? May I?" Joey pleaded, inching towards the door.

"No Joe. Not yet."

Abby could see Aimee dried tears and that she was still in tremendous pain. "John." Abby whispered, tucking a loose strand behind her hair. He looked up at her and smiled; a break in the storm. "Can we talk outside?"

"Well…" he stammered, not really wanting to leave Aimee.

"No!" Aimee interjected.

"It's all right honey, it'll only be a second." Carter said, standing up again. She hated it when he called her honey.

"No, I want her to stay…Abby?"

"I'll be back with your dad soon enough."

Aimee nodded, wincing slightly from the pain. She watched as Abby led her father outside the double doors. Sam walked up to the monitor and began to chart Aimee's vitals. "I can see why my father loved her so much."

"Oh?" Sam replied, trying to suppress a grin.

"She has a strength all to her own; a strength my father always hoped for, and a strength my mother never possessed."

"Neela tells me you don't want Aimee on any pain meds?" Abby paused for a moment. "Carter?"

"I don't want her to end up like me," he said slowly, his face turning red as if her were mocking himself.

Abby shook her head, "She's not you."

"I know that," he said quickly.

"And she's in a lot of pain."

"But-"

"She's a good girl Carter; you've raised an amazing daughter."

He smiled a little at this. "You're right." He wanted to hold her, to kiss her a thank you. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. So he simply said, "Thanks Abby."

Abby smiled slightly and walked Carter back to Aimee. Ray was waiting for them. "Vicoden ok?" he asked. Carter nodded his head yes. "Then let's do this!"

Abby stayed for Aimee.

"So Dr. Morris is still calling you the gremlin." Luka stated; half laughing, rubbing his hands together, now seated on the couch.

"Um…yes." Joey answered, confused by the sudden change of tone.

Luka noticed his son's apprehension, "We're not mad at you Joe; we're just a little disappointed with your actions."

Joey nodded his head slightly in agreement. "What did happen between the three of you?"

Luka was lost deep in thought, then looked up to Joey who was still standing, "Um, how is the saying? Oh! Love triangle? Yes."

Joey laughed a little.

"What?" Luka asked, truly amused at his son's not so subtle laughter.

"You and Aimee's dad fought over mom?"

"It was a little more complicated than that, and one day I'll tell you about it, but-"

Joey sighed, the smile still in his eye, "Can I go see Aimee?"

Luka regarded his son for a moment longer, then said, "Yes."

Joey found his mom and aunt Neela chatting outside Aimee's room. Neela stopped mid sentence causing Abby to turn around.

"Dad said I-"

"It's ok," Abby said, placing a hand on her son's shoulder, "You did what you had to do, right?" Joey smiled with relief, because he never dreamed of upsetting his mother.

Luka had rolled up his sleeves and ran his hands through his hair. Frank popped his head in, Dr. Kovac, the police are here for a statement."

"Later Frank." Luka sighed, standing up, and giving the desk clerk a sign of good faith. Frank nodded in understanding and Luka went in search of Abby instead.

Aimee had scooted over so that Joey could sit next to her. He let his hand slowly clasp hers, their fingers intertwining with each other. She rested her head on his shoulder. "What a night," he said, causing her to laugh. He liked to see her smile.

"You know what Joey?"

"What?" he said, turning his head so that their foreheads touched.

"We should call ourselves Jack."

"Jack?"

"Yeh," she began casually, "they are our initials; J for Joey, A for Aimee, C for Carter, and K for Kovac." she whispered slowly, their lips barely touching.

Joey kissed her softly, "Jack…I like it."

Abby let the wind run through her hair, the smell of spring in the air. She looked down at the piece of paper Ray had given her before she headed up to the roof to get some fresh air. It was from Carter. She sighed and flipped it open:


	29. Conclusion

I would like to thank all those who reviewed this lovely story, especially xEllax and my personal friends Katie, Aisha, and Norelle. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. And so now I leave you with this final chapter.

-Ianni

She heard the metal door open in the distance, and turned to great her new company. Abby found Luka and broke out into a smile. A tear escaped out of the corner of her eye and she flecked it away. Luka gave her a tender look of concern. "No…" she laughed, wiping away another, "Luka, I'm happy."

His heart lifted and his concerned demeanor turned to that of joy. Luka reached for her hand and she took it, pulling him closer to her. Abby wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face to his chest. He could feel her smiling as he wrapped his arms around her.

They began to slowly sway with the wind.

Abby lifted her head and their foreheads touched. Luka kissed her, softly at first, then Abby deepened it, running her hands up his neck and through his hair, letting him know all was ok again.

They came up for air, breathless and smiling.

"Ray just came to me; told me how he was feeling awkward about giving you a-"

"Wanna know what it said?" she asked teasingly. He nodded his head as if asking for permission. "Basically, in a more eloquent, Carter-esque tone, he said that he'll leave us alone but we must not ignore the fact that our children are taken with each other."

Luka broke out into a toothy grin, Abby blushing. "Good," he said, "I think we've had enough drama to last us a lifetime."

The wind picked up a bit, twirling with the scarce foliage that somehow made it up to the roof. But Abby and Luka didn't notice, for they were locked once again in each other's arms, silently conveying their love for one another.

And this is the end of my tale. With Luka and Abby once again finding peace within each other; with Carter realizing his love for Abby will always be in vain; and finally with Joey and Aimee, through tangled webs of their parent's past, finding their first loves.

The End.


End file.
